Pretty Cure Ocean Splash
by skydreamm
Summary: Fifteen years ago, the Kingdom of Waves and Abyss were wrapped up in a terrible war. In order to win the war, the kingdom used the power of the Gems of Tide to nearly destroy Abyss. Now, with Abyss slowly recovering, its new ruler Ceto has struck back and seeks the Gems of Tide to exact revenge. It's up to Marie, Natasha, Talia and Ruth to fight Abyss as Precure Ocean Splash!
1. Cure Coral is Born!

_(AN: Cover drawn by riribelle!)_

Thalassa blinked the tears away from her eyes. _No tears, no crying,_ she thought to herself, _You are the queen of the waves. You must show no weakness in the face of danger._

Her great trident, or, at least the broken pieces that once made up her trident, lay on the ground before her. How could she allow herself to be defeated so easily?

Ceto stood before her, her back turned to the queen. Thalassa didn't need to see her face to know exactly where the woman was looking. To the great altar, where the Gems of Tide waited in their case. Ceto approached the altar, running her unnaturally pale hands over the case. She looked back towards the queen, and began to speak.

"I'm disappointed, Lass," Thalassa cringed at the nickname. "I was hoping that you would put up more of a fight. Oh, well, at least you made this easier."

"Ceto, _please_ ," Thalassa begged, "Perhaps we can come to some kind of agreement-"

"That's funny," Ceto said, her expression quickly turning into a glare. "I recall myself, saying the exact same thing, before you _drove us out of our homes_."

Thalassa opened her mouth to speak, but shut it just as fast. Ceto turned back to the altar.

"At last," She said, quickly opening the case. However, she was shocked to find it empty. "What?" She spun around, grabbing Thalassa by the collar of her blouse, pulling the queen toward her. "What did you do?"

"I-I sent the gems away, before you got here," Thalassa said, her eyes wide and filled with fear. "I thought it would be better if they were gone than in your hands."

"And where are they?"

"If the spell worked correctly, they should've been sent to Earth, but, I don't know where on Earth. They were all scattered apart, to make it harder for you to find them."

Ceto released Thalassa, who flopped to the ground. "Well, Lass, as much as I would love to kill you right now, you're much more useful to me alive than dead, at least for now. Scylla, Charybdis?"

Out of the shadows, where nothing seemed to be before, stepped out the two women. Standing to Ceto's right, Scylla, and to Ceto's left, Charybdis.

"Lady Ceto, is this that Thalassa you've told us so much about?" Scylla said. "I thought she was a great queen, but that surely must've been a lie." She laughed.

Charybdis laughed, too. "Just look at her! Weak, weak, weak! I almost feel sorry for her. Almost!"

"Would you two mind taking hold of her?" Ceto said to the two women. "She is to be our prisoner, and I wouldn't want her to try and run away while I'm casting the teleportation spell."

Scylla and Charybdis did as they were asked, both taking one of Thalassa's arms. The queen didn't try to struggle or fight against them. "Onda, Costa, find them." Thalassa said. Before she knew it, Ceto was surrounding them all in a large, dark bubble. When the bubble popped, they were all gone.

Onda and Costa, two little fairy penguins, had been watching the entire scene, hiding behind the altar. Onda was a bit smaller than Costa, and she was blue, while Costa was green.

"Costa," Onda said nervously, "What... What did Queen Thalassa mean by that? Find them? The Gems of Tide... Or the legendary warriors?"

Costa looked to the spot and Thalassa, Ceto, Scylla and Charybdis had just been a few moments ago. "I think both."

* * *

 _OP: "Swim! Splash! Precure!"_

 **EPISODE 1:**  
 _"Defender of the Sea, Cure Coral is born!"_

* * *

"Marie! Are you listening?"

Marie suddenly looked up at the sound of her mother's voice, startled. "I-I'm sorry!" She said. "I didn't even realize I was daydreaming."

Anne smiled slightly at her daughter, giving the 14-year-old a pat on the shoulder. "I was just asking you if you were okay."

Marie tried to smile back. "I'm just a little... Distracted, is all."

Anne pulled out the chair next to Marie and sat down. "Sweetie, what's going on? You can talk to me."

"It's nothing," Marie said. "I'm fine."

Marie's older brother, Jack, rolled his eyes. "Just leave her, Mom. You know what that means," He said over a mouthful of eggs, "There is something wrong, she just isn't gonna say anything about it."

"Jack, chew your food before trying to speak," Anne said.

Marie sighed. "Okay, I'll tell you." She said. "I'm just a little worried. Algebra tests are coming back today, and I really don't think I did well."

"Aww, sweetie, is that all?" Anne gave her daughter a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "It's just a test. If you do badly on it, it's not the end of the world."

 _Maybe not for you,_ Marie thought.

"Here, I've got something that might cheer you up," Anne said, reaching into her pocket. "Ta-da!" She pulled out a round, dark blue jewel. It was transparent, and rays of light shone through it like light shines through water. Anne took Marie's hand and placed the stone in her palm.

"Oh, _wow,_ " Marie said, turning the stone around in her hands. "It's gorgeous, but, where did you get it?"

"My friend Helen, you know, the jeweler?" Anne said. "It's a specimen that turned up one day. No matter how many tests she did, she couldn't identify what kind of gem it was. She gave it to me, and now I'm giving it to you. It can be a good luck charm!"

"How come you never get me anything nice like that?" Jack said. "Kidding."

"Thank you," Marie said, slipping the stone into her pocket.

Just then, the kitchen door swung open. " _Gooooood morning, everybody!_ "

Anne looked up, startled. "Natasha," She said through gritted teeth. "How many times have I reminded you to knock before practically breaking down our door in the morning?"

"Many times," Natasha said, striding in. "Don't worry, Mrs. Mason. Someday I'll remember to do it!" Anne just sighed.

"Hey, Nat!" Marie said, waving.

"Marie!" Natasha took the seat next to her. "And Jack. How's my best friend doing?"

Jack smirked. "I'm not your best friend."

"Exactly!" Natasha threw her arm around Marie. "My best friend is this girl right here."

Marie couldn't help but laugh. "I'm doing fine, thanks."

"Well, unless you all want to be late, I suggest you get moving," Anne said.

"Oh, _jeez_." Jack quickly choked down the rest of his eggs.

Marie took one last sip of orange juice, and ran to grab her bag. The three of them were out the door, Marie and Jack saying the usual "Bye, Mom" and Natasha saying "I'll bug you later, Mrs. Mason".

As Marie climbed into Jack's car, she was unaware she was being watched.

"That girl..." Onda said.

"What about her?" Costa asked. "We're here to look for the Gems of Tide, Onda. Didn't you say you could sense one somewhere in this city?"

"Well, yeah, and..."

"Then let's keep looking," Costa concluded. "The sooner we find it, the sooner we can save the Kingdom of Waves."

Onda didn't say anything, but looked back at Marie, one more time, before the two of them flew off.

Little did she know, Onda was being watched, herself.

* * *

The halls of Shore City High were packed, as usual. Marie and Natasha struggled to hear each other over all the conversation going around.

"You nervous about your score on the test?" Natasha asked her best friend.

"Yeah."

"Look, Marie, it's _algebra_ ," Natasha said. " _Nobody's_ good at it. Except for, like, super geniuses and stuff. Also, _everybody_ was talking about how hard that test was, even the smart kids. If you fail, don't worry, you're not alone!"

"Easy for you to say," Marie said, frowning. "I was always good at math in elementary school, okay at it in middle school, and now... Basically, my parents' expectations are high, while my actual ability? Low."

Natasha snickered. "Yeah, in my case it's expectations low, ability low."

* * *

"Alright, everybody," Mr. Burrows said to the class, "I'm sure you've all been waiting for this. It's time to hand back your tests from last week."

 _This is it,_ Marie thought. She felt in her pocket for the jewel, silently wishing for a good grade. She watched Mr. Burrows go around, handing everyone their graded tests, watching everyone's reactions to their grades. A quiet "Yes!" and a fist pump there, a groan there. She wondered who would get theirs first: Her, or Natasha?

It was Natasha. She sat in front of Marie, so Marie couldn't watch her reaction. They would have to discuss their grades later. At lunch, probably. They didn't have any other classes together. Eventually, Mr. Burrows came to Marie. _Uh oh._ That look of disappointment. The way he handed it to her folded, so no one else could see the grade.

Marie took the test from her teacher, trying to hide how nervous she was. She turned it over, and...

 _D minus._

She paged through, looking at what she had gotten right and wrong. A few of her incorrect answers, she may have gotten right, it if weren't for mistakes on her part. Accidentally putting down a 4 instead of a 3. Leaving out a number by mistake. And, oh, _come on,_ she had that one right, but accidentally entered the wrong answer on the scantron!

Marie flipped the test closed, placing it face down on her desk so no one could see her grade. _So much for that lucky charm._

* * *

"So, I take it you didn't do well, judging from that look on your face." Natasha sat down next to Marie, at their usual lunch table.

"No."

"What grade did you get?"

"I really don't want to mention it," Marie said. "How did you do?"

"A B plus," Natasha replied. "I was gonna celebrate, but, seeing you like this, I guess it's not really appropriate anymore." The blue-haired girl shrugged. "It was a lot of lucky guesses, anyway."

Another girl approached, sitting down at the table with Marie and Natasha. "Hello!"

Marie looked up, trying to smile. "Hi, Ruth."

Ruth saw right through her fake smile. "Marie, are you alright?"

"She got a bad grade on a test, is all," Natasha said.

"A bad grade, huh?" Ruth said. "What class?"

"Algebra," Marie said.

"I'm really good at algebra!" Ruth said. "I could help you study sometime, if you want."

Natasha smiled and shook her head. "What subject _aren't_ you good at, Ruth?"

"Well, there's art," Ruth said.

Marie smiled, for real this time. "Thanks, Ruth."

Ruth smiled back. "Any time! We're friends, right?"

Marie's phone buzzed, and she looked down at it. A few texts from her brother.

 _cant drive you and nat home today sry. movie date w/ lottie this afternoon_

 _meant to tell you earlier, forgot, sry_

 _[kiss emoji]_

 _sry meant to send that to lottie_

Marie had to chuckle a little at that last one. "Well, Ruth, thanks to your sister, me and Natasha are walking home today."

"Aww, man," Natasha said.

"What are she and Jack up to this time?" Ruth asked.

"He says they're going on a movie date this afternoon," Marie answered.

"Probably another superhero movie," Ruth said. "You know how much Charlotte loves superhero movies."

"Oh, yeah."

Marie liked Ruth's older sister, Charlotte. She was very nice, if overenthusiastic, and honestly, she and Jack could be so obnoxious sometimes. They were one of the many couples causing hallway traffic jams.

"Wait, Marie, I've got an idea," Natasha said.

"An idea? An idea for what?" Marie said.

"Taking your mind off of today!" Natasha exclaimed. "There's one place where I've never, ever seen you sad at! The aquarium! Let's stop by there on our way home, okay?"

"Well, maybe, but what if I see my dad?" Marie said. "I have to show him and my mom the test."

"Here's an easy solution: Just don't show him until later," Natasha replied.

"I don't really know if that's a good idea..."

Ruth spoke up. "If you want my advice, I think it's best if you tell him as soon as possible. If you wait too long, it's just going to hurt more when you do tell him."

"Okay," Marie said. "If I see him... I'll show him the test."

* * *

After school, Marie and Natasha were walking the streets together.

"Come on, Marie, at least try to look a little happier," Natasha said, playfully punching the light brown-haired girl on the arm. "We're going to your favorite place in the entire world!"

"I'm just kind of scared to show my test to my dad," Marie said.

"You know," Natasha smirked. "It's not too late to not tell him anything!"

"No," Marie said firmly, "I have to tell him."

"Okay, okay," Natasha said. "You need to have some fun sometime, Marie. Break the rules, just do whatever!"

"No thanks, I-Oof!" Marie had bumped right into someone. "Oh, oh no, I'm so sorry, I..."

The person Marie had bumped into was a girl. About their age, she had long blonde hair, and dark purple eyes. She didn't say anything. She just scowled at Marie, before walking away without a word.

"Well, this day is going great," Marie said, frowning. "I just made a stranger hate me."

"Not just any stranger," Natasha said. "Talia Fontaine. Don't know much about her personally, but I've heard she's a spoiled brat."

Fontaine. Marie knew the name. It belonged to one of the wealthiest families in Shore City. It wouldn't surprise her if a member of the family was spoiled. They let it pass, and continued on.

* * *

Shore City Aquarium was busy today. Marie and Natasha made their made through the crowds.

"Come on, we've gotta get to the shark tank," Natasha said. "Hopefully, we've made it in time to see the feeding!"

"I'm coming, coming," Marie said, trying to keep up with her. Finally, they reached it. No matter how many times she visited, she always marveled at the size and beauty of the main shark tank. Resting a hand on the glass, she watched silently as the sharks swam by. She knew the name of every species she saw. At least for that moment, she forgot about all her worries. She forgot about the test. For just a moment, she was at peace.

"Beautiful creatures, aren't they?"

Hearing her father's voice pulled Marie back into reality. "Hey, Dad."

"Hi, Bill!" Natasha said, waving.

"Natasha," Bill said, "Why is it you call me Bill, but you call my wife 'Mrs. Mason'?"

"This is the first time you've complained about it," Natasha said. "Would you prefer 'William'?"

"Yeah, nevermind," Bill said, chuckling slightly. "Anyway, you two just missed the shark feeding!"

"Aww, man," Natasha said. "Wish we had gotten here a little bit earlier!"

"Um, anyway, Dad," Marie finally spoke up, "I've got something I need to show you."

"Oh?"

Marie took her backpack off, opened it up and brought out the algebra test. Her hands shaking, she handed it to her father. Marie watched his expression as he looked at it, but as he did, he kept a straight face. Finally, he spoke up.

"We'll talk about it tonight when I get home, okay?" Bill handed the test back to Marie.

"O-O-Okay," Marie said, holding her breath.

"Good," Bill said, turning to walk away. "See you then."

Marie watched him go, and felt tears begin to prick at the corners of her eyes. She blinked them away as fast as she could.

"Ouch," Natasha said. "The 'we'll talk about it later' deal. One of the worst responses to this type of thing."

"He's... He's disappointed in me."

"You don't know that!"

"That's the last thing I ever want my dad to be," Marie said, turning back and watching the sharks. "Disappointed in me. I want to become a marine biologist just like him. I don't want him to be disappointed in me. I want him to be proud of me."

Natasha was unsure of what else to say. "Marie..."

"I want to be alone now, if you don't mind," Marie said.

"I'll... I'll just go home now, I guess." Natasha said, turning and leaving.

Marie thought it was best to leave, too.

* * *

 _Eyecatch 1: Marie, Natasha, Talia and Ruth are all in beachwear, chasing Onda and Costa along the beach. Marie, however, trips on a rock and falls right on her face. The others laugh and help her up as the Precure Ocean Splash logo appears in the corner._

 _Eyecatch 2: Standing in a line, the girls all hold oyster shells in their hands. One by one, they open them up. Marie opens hers up, nothing, Natasha, nothing, Ruth, nothing, but when Talia opens hers up, inside is a sparkling pearl. The others look at her while she proudly smiles, and the Precure Ocean Splash logo appears._

* * *

Marie didn't go home. She didn't want to face her mother and show her the test just yet. Instead, she just wanted to walk. The boardwalk was empty this time of year. It was the perfect place to be alone. With the ocean in view, she felt calmer. It wouldn't stay empty for long. Spring Break was getting closer, and with it would come the year's first wave of tourists. All the shops along the boardwalk would open up. T-shirt shops, souvenir shops with cages full of hermit crabs for sale, ice cream places and pizza places and french fry places. The tourists would learn the hard way why you don't feed the seagulls. When Marie was 7, she threw a single french fry toward a gull and ended up with a flock chasing her halfway down the beach for the rest of them. The boldest ones would try to steal food straight out of your hands.

The attractions would open up, too. The mini golf courses, the go carts, and the arcades. And of course, the crown jewel, Wild Pier, its rides and games all lighting up during the evening. Marie looked now at its currently still and unlit rides. She couldn't wait to see that big ferris wheel turning again.

Eventually, Marie reached the marina. It was one of Marie's favorite places to go to be alone. She always loved to watch boats come and go and bob in the water. Walking to the end of the docks, she passed by her father's sailboat. It brought back fine memories of him taking her and Jack out to sea and teaching them how to fish. She also knew how to sail it herself- He taught he that, too- and almost considering going out for even further seclusion, but he wouldn't want her going out on her own without permission.

Finally, Marie reached the end. She sat down, letting her feet dangle over the edge, gazing out into the ocean. She reached into her pocket, pulling out the gemstone. "Some lucky charm you turned out to be, huh?" She pulled her arm back, and was about to throw and send it straight into the ocean, when she suddenly heard a small voice shout out.

" _Wait!_ "

Marie lowered her hand. "Huh?"

Another small voice, this one different. "Please, please don't throw that!"

Marie got up and turned around, and behind her were... Two penguins? A slightly smaller blue one, wearing a bow on its head, and a slightly larger green one, wearing a pearl necklace. "Uh..."

"Please, we need that gem," One of the penguins said- The larger, green one. It was the voice she had heard first, the one shouting at her to wait.

 _Wait._

 _Talking penguins?_

"What's going on?" Marie said. She had to be dreaming. _She had to be._

The penguins started flowing, and they came up to.

The blue one spoke up. "We need it to save our world!" It was the second voice Marie had heard, the one begging her not to throw the stone.

"Onda!" The green one said. "Look, can you take us somewhere private? We can discuss more when we're not out in the open like this."

"Um... I could take you back to my house?" Marie said.

"Perfect!" The green penguin said. "By the way, my name's Costa. The loudmouth one is my little sister, Onda."

"I am not a loudmouth!" Onda yelled.

"I'm Marie Mason." Marie wasn't sure if she really should have been telling her name to these strange, talking penguins.

"Right, then, Marie," Costa said, "Lead the way!"

* * *

They were almost back at Marie's house. Onda and Costa had decided to hide inside Marie's backpack, and she had been slowed down slightly by it, with it being heavier than usual. Finally, her house was in sight, just a bit up the road. Marie's backpack unzipped, and Costa poked her head out.

"I feel like we've been in there forever," Costa said. "How much longer until we're there?"

"Yeah, it's hot in here!" Onda said. "I want out!"

"We're almost there, actually." Marie pointed down the road at her house. Her mother was out working in the yard, and she noticed her father was just pulling into the driveway. _Just in time,_ she thought, nervous of what would come when she got there. Jack was probably home now, too.

"Wait, wait, wait!" Onda flew right out of the backpack. Marie still had no idea how a penguin was able to fly, let alone speak.

Costa followed after her. "Onda? What is it?"

"Look!" Onda pointed a flipper. Marie looked to where she was pointing, to the roof of her house. Standing there on the roof was a man. He had unnaturally pale skin, slicked back black hair, and dark violet-blue eyes. He was dressed very strangely, wearing something like the captain of a ship would wear, but in black and red.

"Karkinos," Costa whispered. She sounded afraid.

"Karkinos?" Marie repeated. "Who's that?"

The man, Karkinos, began to speak.

"It's not fair," He said, "It's not fair. You human beings live peaceful lives. You live happy lives. Uneventful lives. But in this world, no, in all worlds, there is an endless amount of pain and suffering. And what do you do? You ignore it! You let someone else deal with the problem! You're not the one suffering, so it doesn't matter if other people do. You're safe and happy, so what does it matter if other people aren't? Imagine, for a second, that you're the one suffering. Well, why don't we make that a reality?"

Marie watched as Karkinos held out his hand, and in it, appeared a small vial, full of a dark liquid. He uncorked it, waving his free hand over the open lid, and a few drops of the liquid came out, floating in the air around his fingers.

"Rise from the depths... _Hadalis!_ "

As Karkinos said this, he pointed his fingers, at Bill's car. The drops of liquid flew toward it, and when they hit the car, it began to transform into a horrible monster. Marie heard it roar, and then a _scream_ she _knew_ was her mother's and she _ran, she had to get there, she had to, her **family** -_

"Marie, you need to get out here!" Costa yelled.

"Don't go, don't, it's dangerous!" Onda added.

They flew in front of Marie, trying to block her way, but she pushed them right out of the way and kept going.

"No!" Marie shouted. " _That's my family!_ " She made it to the front yard. Her mother and father were lying on the ground, unconcious. A strange light was emanating off of them, drifting toward the monster- Hadalis, it was called.

"As my Hadalis saps life energy, it goes to Abyss, invigorating and strengthening the people." Karkinos said. He looked up, noticing Marie. "Oh, hello. Care to join us?"

Marie was _terrified_. Her whole body was shaking, and she could feel her eyes beginning to tear up. But she had to be brave. She tried her best to stand tall and firm. "L-L-Leave-Leave them alone."

Karkinos laughed. "Pretending to be brave, little girl?"

Marie stood her ground, trying to ignore the tear that had spilled over and was now making its way down her cheek. "I-I said leave them alone."

"You know, there's a reason why the cowardly survive longer," Karkinos said. "Allow me to demonstrate. Hadalis, crush her."

Marie refused to move, even as the Hadalis approached her, raise its monstrous foot, brought it down on top of her, and-

Onda and Costa had flown in right at the last second, surrounding her in a bubble. The foot of the Hadalis hit the bubble, and bounced off harmlessly.

"Oh, great, the penguins are helping her?" Karkinos said, sighing deeply.

"We need to figure out a plan to get you out of this and get you to safety," Costa said.

"We can't hold this for long, it'll get through eventually!" Onda said.

The Hadalis was pounding at the bubble. Cracks were quickly forming.

"I'm not going anywhere," Marie said. She was now crying freely, and her voice had become very shaky.

"What?" Costa said. "Why?"

"No matter what, no matter the cost..." Marie began, "I have to protect my family. _I won't let anyone hurt them!_ "

With one final hard pound the Hadalis' foot, the bubble gave way and shattered to pieces, only for a bright light to shine and the Hadalis to be blasted back several feet from an unknown force.

"Wait... _No_ ," Karkinos said.

Marie looked around. Where did this light come from? She looked down at her hands, and in them, was a locket. It was pink, and engraved on the front was the image of a sea shell. Onda and Costa floated next to her, staring at her and the locket.

"Costa! She's one of them! We found one of the Legendary Warriors!" Onda said excitedly.

"Marie, listen to us," Costa said. "You are a Pretty Cure. That's called a Soak Locket, you can use it to transform and protect your family."

"It's so easy! Just put it on and say, 'Pretty Cure, Tidal Power'!"

Marie put the locket on. "It sounds weird, but, I'll do it."

" _ **Pretty Cure, Tidal Power!**_ "

Waves of light came out of the Soak Locket, surrounding Marie. She was underwater, surrounded by pink and yellow bubbles. Colonies of bubbles began to form around her, starting with her shirt. When the bubbles popped, she was wearing a different shirt. It was light pink, with a bright pink sailor collar with long ties in the front. A few more bubbles appeared, and a yellow starfish brooch appeared on her chest.

The bubbles moved down to her skirt. When they popped, they revealed a pink wrap skirt with a scale pattern, made of shiny fabric, almost as if the skirt were actually covered in scales. The hems were lined with sheer yellow fabric, while underneath the skirt, there were light pink bike shorts.

The bubbles finally moved to her shoes, and when they popped, she now wore sandals, with dark pink soles and yellow straps. She raised her hands above her head, and on her wrists, fine pearl bracelets appeared. She brought her hands down on top of her head, and her shoulder length hair grew slightly, sections of it being pulled up into two small pigtails on either side of her head, held up by yellow seashell hairclips.

The transformation was complete. The new Precure smiled, bringing her hands together. " **The defender of the sea with an ocean of bravery...** " She twirled around on one foot, and posed, one hand over her chest and the other spread out to the side. " **Making a splash, _Cure Coral!_** "

The light faded. Marie, now Cure Coral, looked down at herself, shocked. "What just... I am..."

"One of the Legendary Warriors," Karkinos growled. "Hadalis, attack!"

"What do I do?" Coral asked, looking over at the penguins.

"Get out of the way!" Onda replied.

"How?!" Coral looked back, and the Hadalis was once again trying to crush her. Quickly, she jumped out of the way of it, launching her high into the air. "What the... _How did I get up here?_ "

"A Precure possesses special, extraordinary abilities far beyond ordinary humans." Costa explained. "Enhanced strength, jumping incredible heights, surviving incredible falls, just to name a few."

"Enhanced strength, and..." Coral looked toward the ground below, noticing the Hadalis was directly below her. Facing downward, she put out a fist, bringing it right down on top of the Hadalis, making a small, shallow crater. She landed on her feet, a bit shakily. "Woah, did I really just... Do that?"

"You're really starting to try my patience, little girl," Karkinos said, crossing his arms.

Coral turned back to the penguins. "What do I do now?"

"Finish it off!" Onda said. "Quickly, quickly, before it gets up!"

"Okay, I'll try." Coral said. She turned back to the Hadalis. "I can't forgive anyone who tries to hurt the people I love!"

" **Pretty Cure...** " Coral held out her hands to the side, spinning slowly. A ring of water formed around her. She slowly moved her hands out in front of her, and the ring of water began circling around her hands. " **...Coral Splash!** " The water blasted toward the Hadalis like a firehose, cleansing it. It turned back into an ordinary car. There was a sudden light, and when it faded, all the damage done during battle had disappeared, as if nothing had actually happened.

Karkinos glared at Cure Coral, before forming a dark bubble around himself. When the bubble popped, he was gone.

Coral, too, formed a bubble around herself. When it popped, she was once again plain, ordinary Marie. Her mother and father were stirring. "Oh, jeez, Mom, Dad!" Onda and Costa quickly jumped back into their spot, inside Marie's backpack. Marie ran over to her parents to help them up.

"Are you two okay?" Marie asked. "Do you know what happened?"

"I have no idea," Anne said, rubbing her eyes. "There was a strange man, standing on the roof. He was talking, and then... I don't know."

"That's about as much as I remember, too," Bill said. "Marie, do you know what happened?"

"No," Marie lied. "I was taking a walk. I just got home, and found you two on the ground like that."

"Well, it's good that you're alright," Anne said, hugging her daughter.

"Uh, by the way, Mom," Marie said. She had to tell the truth sooner or later. "I... I got a..."

"I know, you got a D minus on your algebra test," Anne said. "Your father told me when he got home, just before whatever it was happened. Just... Study more and do better next time, okay?"

"Wait, really?"

"Marie, it's just one test," Bill said. "There will be more tests that you can do better, or worse, on. There's no need to focus on one."

Marie was _so_ relieved. "Okay."

"And, since I haven't asked yet," Anne said, "How was your day, sweetie?"

Marie reached up to her neck, feeling for the Soak Locket. "Oh, it was pretty uneventful, really."

* * *

 _ED: Ride~The~Waves_

* * *

 **ON THE NEXT EPISODE:**

Natasha: Marie, you've been acting way strange today.

Marie: What? What do you mean?

Natasha: You're closing up more than you usually do. Are you trying to hide something from me?

Marie: W-What? Never! Next time on Pretty Cure Ocean Splash: **Can you keep a secret? Cure Storm Strikes!** Let the waves rush over you!


	2. Cure Storm Strikes!

Marie shut her bedroom door. She placed down her backpack and unzipped it, and Onda and Costa flew out.

"Here's my room," Marie said. "Pretty much my most private place. Anyone who isn't me knows to knock."

"You really love the ocean, huh?" Costa said, looking around.

Marie let out a small nose exhale, and resisted the urge to say _what was your first clue?_ There was her fishtank, stocked full of colorful fish. Her seashell bedspread, and her favorite stuffed animal, a little blue dolphin she had since she was 4 years old, named Dolphie. Her lighthouse table lamp, sitting on her nightstand. All her wall posters, featuring shark species from around the world to a map of ocean currents. Scattered in various nooks and crannies around her room, sea shells and sea glass and all kinds of treasures from the ocean she had collected over the years.

"Yeah," Marie said, plopping down on her bed. "Look, this is all... Really weird. With that guy, Karkinos, and, that monster..." She unclasped the Soak Locket from around her neck, staring at it in her hand. "And I transformed into some kind of magical girl? I'd just like some sort of explanation for all this."

"We can explain more later, but for now, here's all you need to know," Costa began, "Marie, you are important. You are a Pretty Cure, a legendary warrior. You have been given the power to protect the world."

"And we really need that gem you had earlier!" Onda said.

Marie reached into her pocket, pulling out the gem, her failed lucky charm. "You mean this?"

"Yeah! That's it, that's it!" Onda said.

"Well, here ya go," Marie replied, holding it out.

Onda took the gem, holding it up proudly. "One step closer! That's one down, four to go!"

"What is that gem, anyway?" Marie asked curiously. "And what do you need it for?"

"It's called a Gem of Tide," Costa answered. "There are five in all, and we need to find all of them... Before Abyss can."

"Abyss?"

"A land of darkness, bordering our homeworld, the Kingdom of Waves..." Onda said.

"Karkinos is one of the generals of Abyss," Costa said.

"So... What happens if Abyss finds the Gems of Tide first?" Marie asked.

"Well, don't freak out, but..." Costa began, but Onda interrupted her.

"They'll flood the universe with the power of the tides!" She said.

Marie's eyes widened. "What you're saying is... It's up to me alone to save the universe?"

"Pretty much, but, I wouldn't say alone," Costa said.

"You're not the only Pretty Cure!" Onda said. "The legends say there will be four. We've gotta find them as fast as possible!"

Marie leaned back on her bed. "Having to balance high school and saving the world..." She muttered to herself. "Wow, it's just like a comic book or a TV show."

* * *

 _OP: "Swim! Splash! Precure!"_

 **EPISODE 2:**  
 _"Can you keep a secret? Cure Storm strikes!"_

* * *

"I beg your forgiveness, Lady Ceto," Karkinos said, bowing. "I know my failure is unacceptable, I tried my best, and yet, my best simply was not-"

"Karkinos, get up," Ceto interrupted. "It's alright. I'm not angry at you. You may not have collected much life energy, but even the smallest amount contributes to the restoration of Abyss."

Karkinos rose to his feet. "That is true."

"You couldn't have known a legendary warrior would appear," Ceto continued. "You weren't prepared for it. This time, you will be."

"You're sending me out again?" Karkinos said.

"Would you prefer I sent one of the others?"

"No," Karkinos replied. "I'll do it. This time, I won't disappoint you, Lady Ceto."

Ceto smiled at him. "Good luck. You are dismissed."

Karkinos nodded, and was about to turn and walk out, when a voice rang out.

"Hold on!"

Ceto looked up, and Karkinos turned to watch the smaller figure quickly come into the throne room. "Siren," The two of them said at the same time.

"Lady Ceto," Siren bowed, and quickly stood up straight again. "I'd like to ask if I could take this mission, instead of Karkinos."

"No," Karkinos said, placing a hand on Siren's shoulder. "Absolutely not. We've been over this, Siren. Missions to Earth are too dangerous for you for now, there's plenty to do around h-"

Siren slapped the hand away. "Karkinos, shut _up!_ Stop treating me like a little kid! I'm a general, same as you!"

"I am only trying to keep you safe!"

" _Enough!_ " Ceto boomed. "Here is a compromise: Karkinos, you will take this mission, as I told you before. However, after this, it will be Siren's turn."

Karkinos sighed and nodded. "As you wish, Lady Ceto."

"Siren, as for you, for now I'm assigning you to watch Thalassa. And most importantly," Ceto said, "Karkinos, Siren is correct. She is my general, as you are. She is deserving of respect as much as you are. I understand your relationship with her, and your desire to keep her safe, but there is no need to stop her from doing things you deem too dangerous, and I forbid you from doing it again."

"...I understand, Lady Ceto." Karkinos replied. He glanced over at Siren, and a smug, satisfied smile was blooming on her face.

* * *

Marie swore it felt like her alarm went off earlier and earlier every morning.

She quickly pulled her clothes on and dragged a brush through her hair. She glanced at her Soak Locket where she left it on her nightstand. She went over to it and picked it up. "Should I take it with me or not?"

"You never know what could happen, take it!" Onda said.

"Right. Better safe than sorry!" Marie put the locket on. "You know, I've been thinking..." She said, absent-mindedly running her fingers along the engravings on the locket. "So, I'm the Cure of bravery, right? But that doesn't make any sense. I'm not brave at all. I'm shy and nervous."

"Who said you weren't brave?" Costa said.

"Well, I mean, it's obvious," Marie said. "Do you remember yesterday? When I confronted Karkinos, I was so scared... I was stuttering and my voice kept cracking, not to mention the crying! I'm a coward."

"Being brave doesn't mean not being afraid at all," Costa said, "Being brave means doing things _despite_ being afraid."

"Even though you were so scared and wanted to run away, you didn't!" Onda said.

"I don't know, I just saw my family in danger, and..." Marie said. "Wouldn't anyone have the same?"

Just then, Marie heard the familiar call of her mother. "Marie, come on! Natasha's already here!"

"Just a second, Mom!" Marie called, quickly grabbing her backpack.

"We'll come with you!" Onda said. She hopped into Marie's backpack, and Costa followed.

"Are you sure you'll be fine staying in there all day?" Marie said.

"How bad can it be?" Costa replied.

Marie shrugged and zipped up her backpack, just before hearing her mother call for her again. She called back, "I'm on my way!"

She dashed out of her room and down the stairs, pulling her backpack along behind her, already forgetting Onda and Costa were inside. As the backpack was pulled down the stairs, the fairies were shaken and tumbled around inside.

Natasha waved as Marie arrived at the kitchen. "Yo."

"About time," Anne said, pointing to an empty spot at the table where a plate of food waited. "French toast today, and you had better eat it up quick!"

"Thanks, Mom," Marie said, taking her seat. She reached for the bottle of maple syrup. "So, Jack, what movie did you see with Charlotte yesterday? The Revengers, right?"

Her older brother nodded. "What else?"

"You know, I've never understood the name of that franchise," Natasha said. "What are they trying to get revenge for?"

Jack shrugged. "Lottie's probably the person to ask instead of me."

"By the way, Marie," Natasha said, "How'd your folks react to your algebra test grade?"

"Much better than expected, actually," Marie replied. "How'd your mom react to that B plus?"

"Oh, man, she was _psyched_ ," Natasha said. "Even put it up on the fridge like a little kid's drawing. Being an underachiever is weird. Nice to see her so happy, though!"

"I can imagine her now, going crazy over it," Marie said.

"Hey, hold on," Natasha said, "I just noticed that necklace you're wearing."

Marie almost choked on her french toast.

"I didn't see you wearing it yesterday, and I definitely haven't ever seen you wearing it before," Natasha said. "Is that new? I _really_ like it, where'd you get it?"

"Uh-um, t-that's, w-w-well, it's..." Marie stammered, before Jack spoke up.

"Hey, we'd better get moving," He said.

"Right!" Natasha said, getting up.

Marie breathed a sigh of relief. Natasha probably wouldn't give up, but at least she was safe for now.

* * *

Natasha didn't say anything at all on the car ride to school, or as she and Marie were walking to classes together. Marie was surprised. Had Natasha actually given up on something for once? Marie's hopes were dashed, however, when she met up with her best friend at lunch.

Both Natasha and Ruth were already at the table when Marie arrived. Natasha's first words upon seeing the light brown-haired girl were "So, Marie, you never told me anything about your new necklace this morning."

"Marie has a new necklace?" Ruth looked up. "Oh, wow, that's _so_ cute!"

"I know, right?" Natasha said, grinning. "So, I just wanna know where she got it so I can get one, too!"

"Me, too," Ruth said. "Where _did_ you get it, Marie?"

"Well, uh, I, um, I got it from..." Marie tried to think up a good lie.

"Did you get it from a _boy_? Did a boy give it to you?" Natasha speculated. "I hate men. They're disgusting and will always, _always_ stab you in the back in the end. But I _guess_ I could still be your friend if you got a boyfriend, so as long as you keep him away from me. Ooh, or maybe you got it from a girl! Even better!"

"Uh, I was feeling sad yesterday, so I decided to get myself something nice just to cheer myself up!" Marie quickly said. "That's it, that's all! Nothing special about it!"

"Woah, calm down, I just wanted to know where you got it from," Natasha said.

Marie frowned. "S-Sorry."

"There's still another question that needs to be answered, though," Ruth said. "What store did you get it from? We need to know that if we want to get our own."

"Oh, I don't know, one of those souvenir shops along the boardwalk," Marie made up, "I don't remember the exact name of the place, sorry."

"I didn't think anything down on the boardwalk would be open this time of year," Ruth said.

"Yeah, I was pretty surprised to see it open, too," Marie said.

"Ah, it's fine if you don't remember the name of it," Natasha said. "Ruth, you and me should head down some time and look for it together. Shouldn't be to hard to find the single open store on the boardwalk!"

Ruth smiled. "Sounds great, I'll try and find some time we can go together."

"Oh, and Marie," Natasha said, "I'm sorry for pestering you so much. Is there any way I can make it up to you?"

Marie smiled. "I've got an idea," She said. "You can carry my backpack to my next class for me."

"I can do that!" Natasha grabbed Marie's backpack, but struggled a bit picking it up, not expecting it to be so heavy. "Wow, it's heavy! What have you got in here, a bunch of babies?"

Marie's eyes widened. "It's nothing, just some books! That's all, just books!" She exclaimed. "W-Why do you ask?"

Natasha blinked. "Oooooooooooo- _kay_." She said. "I was just joking, you need to calm down."

Marie looked away. "Y-Yeah."

"You know, Marie, you've been acting kinda strange." Natasha said. "You seem really wound up about something. Is there anything you wanna get off your chest?"

Marie took her backpack from Natasha. "I-I need a moment." She got up, turned, and began to walk off.

"Hey! Where are you going? I thought you wanted me to carry that!" Natasha called to her, but Marie ignored her.

* * *

 _Eyecatch 1: Marie, Natasha, Talia and Ruth are all in beachwear, chasing Onda and Costa along the beach. Marie, however, trips on a rock and falls right on her face. The others laugh and help her up as the Precure Ocean Splash logo appears in the corner._

 _Eyecatch 2: Standing in a line, the girls all hold oyster shells in their hands. One by one, they open them up. Marie opens hers up, nothing, Natasha, nothing, Ruth, nothing, but when Talia opens hers up, inside is a sparkling pearl. The others look at her while she proudly smiles, and the Precure Ocean Splash logo appears._

* * *

It was a well-known fact that the cafeteria bathrooms were the dirtiest, least maintained bathrooms in the whole school. No one would bother Marie here. But just in case, she entered one of the stalls, closing and locking the door. She unzipped her backpack, letting Onda and Costa free.

"Look, can't I just tell Natasha about this whole Pretty Cure thing?" Marie said. "She already knows something is up with me, that there's something I'm not telling her, and with how bad I am at keeping secrets, it's only a matter of time until she founds out, anyway. I think just telling her outright would be the best thing for me to do right now."

"No, no!" Onda said. "You don't want to involve her, do you? It's too dangerous!"

"Besides, if enough people find out you're a Pretty Cure, next thing you know, you're famous," Costa said. "It'll be so much harder to do your job when everyone knows Cure Coral is Marie Mason! It might be hard, but you have to try your best to keep your identity a secret."

Marie sighed. "I guess you two are right," She said. "I'd better go back out there. I can't hide in here forever. Not that I want to. Why am I even in here at all, really? This place is disgusting." She zipped her backpack back up, opened the stall door, and headed out, back towards where Natasha and Ruth were sitting.

Natasha waved. "Hey, Marie!" She called. "Now I understand why you ran off so quickly. If you were desperate enough to use the cafeteria bathroom, it _must_ have been a serious emergency."

That got a chuckle out of Marie.

"Anyway, so, while you were in there doing your business, me and Ruth were talking it over," Natasha pointed between herself and Ruth, "And she made me realize that, whatever's going on with you today, you obviously don't want to talk about it. And you don't have to!"

"That actually _really_ means a lot, thanks," Marie said.

"No, don't thank me," Natasha said, "Thank Ruth, she made me come to the conclusion!"

"You deserve as much credit as I do, Natasha," Ruth said. "I just told you to try and understand her feelings, you came to the conclusion yourself."

"Yeah, whatever, I still think you're some kind of magic advice-giving guru," Natasha said. "Anyway, Marie, what I _do_ want to do is try and help you unwind today, if you want to, I mean. I don't have a swim meet today, but why don't we head to the swim center today, the two of us, just for some fun? Or you can pick something else you want to do."

"No, that sounds great, actually," Marie said. "I'd love to go!"

"All right, awesome!" Natasha said. "After school, we'll head home, grab our swimsuits, and head out!"

Marie and Natasha high-fived, giving each other a grin.

* * *

Shore City's swim center had two pools- An indoor pool and an outdoor pool. The outdoor pool was only open from Memorial Day to Labor Day, while the indoor pool was open year-round. Being early April, the outdoor pool was still closed this time of year. Marie and Natasha rented lockers, changed into their swimsuits, and dived right into the indoor pool.

"Yes!" Natasha said when she surfaced. "This feels great! Man, I _love_ being in the water."

"Me too," Marie said. "I prefer the push and pull you get from the waves when you go swimming in the ocean, but this is still pretty nice."

"Yeah, yeah, we get it, Marie, you love the ocean!" Natasha laughed to herself. "How old were you when you first learned how to swim?"

"I honestly don't remember ever learning," Marie answered. "My dad claims I learned almost as soon as I learned how to walk."

" _Wow_."

"I know, I'm undrownable."

"Are you _sure_ you want to be a marine biologist, and not a competitive swimmer, like me?" Natasha said.

"It just isn't for me, I'm much more of a recreational swimmer," Marie said. "So, how old were you?"

"How old was I when?"

"How old were you when you first learned how to swim?"

"Oh, duh," Natasha said. "I was... 7, I think? Maybe 8. I don't remember it perfectly."

The two of them spent a while in the pool together, splashing each other, floating around, and occasionally dunking each other's heads underwater. Eventually, they climbed out of the pool and began to wrapped themselves up in their towels.

"Hey, I'm gonna head back to the locker room and get changed, okay?" Natasha said.

"Okay," Marie said. "I think I'll wait around a bit longer. I might get back in the pool, I might not. I'll relax for a bit and see how I feel."

"Got it," Natasha said, before heading off back to the locker room.

Marie leaned back in the pool chair, before hearing noises coming from her backpack. Onda and Costa were trying to get her attention. Natasha wondered why Marie had chosen to bring her backpack into the pool area instead of leave it in the locker room, but Marie couldn't tell her why.

Marie bent over and unzipped her backpack. "Hey, you two, what's up?"

"A general of Abyss is nearby," Costa said.

"We can sense them!" Onda added.

"That's not good," Marie said. She had taken off her Soak Locket to go swimming and had put it in her backpack, so she grabbed it and put it on. She got up and scanned the pool area, looking for any sign of an agent of Abyss, and over on the far side of the pool area, she spotted him.

"Karkinos," Marie said.

Karkinos looked around the pool area at all the swimmers, eyes full of disgust. "Human beings are so puzzling. Not very far from here, there's a big, wide ocean, free for anyone to use. Yet, they all decide to swim here, even though it costs to swim in. Why? Human beings are truly _wretched_." He held up a Hadal Vial. "At least your life energy can be used for a far greater purpose: Helping the people of the great kingdom of Abyss."

He uncorked the Vial and waved his free hand over it, a few drops of the dark liquid containing within coming out and floating around his fingers. "Rise from the depths... _Hadalis_!" He pointed his fingers towards an inner tube, and the drops flew toward it, transforming the inner tube into a monstrous Hadalis.

All around the pool area, people suddenly froze in place, as their life energy began to be sapped by the Hadalis.

"Not so fast, Karkinos!" Marie said. She placed her hand on her Soak Locket, and thought to herself, _Well, here goes_.

" ** _Pretty Cure, Tidal Power!_ The defender of the sea with an ocean of bravery... Making a splash, _Cure Coral!_** "

"Oh, hello again, Cure Coral," Karkinos said. "Why don't we make this quick? I won't lose to you again. You're not the only one with someone they need to protect."

"I won't let you hurt all these innocent people, Karkinos!" Coral yelled. "I've already beat you once, I can beat you again!"

"What the _heck!?_ "

Coral froze when she heard that familiar voice behind her, and turned around to see Natasha standing there, her eyes wide.

"N-N-Natasha," Coral said. "Uh. This is. _Really_ hard to explain."

Onda and Costa looked on. "Oh, no," Costa said. "She's doomed."

"I had just, come back out here to see if you were ready to go yet, and, you, you like, transformed, and, there's this, weird guy and a, big monster, and, these, _penguin things!_ " Natasha said.

"We're fairies!" Onda said.

"Whatever," Natasha said. "Most importantly, you lied to me! There's no way that's a normal necklace! I doubt you bought it from some souvenir shop on the boardwalk."

Coral frowned. "Really, Nat? _Really? That's_ what you're concerned about?"

" _Ahem,_ " Karkinos spoke up. "Weren't we in the middle of something?"

"Right," Coral turned back around. "Natasha, just stay back, okay? Let me handle this! I'll explain everything later!"

Natasha looked upon her nervously, but nodded. "Whatever you say."

Coral leaped over the pool, bringing her foot down hard against the Hadalis' head. This stunned it for a few moments, and Coral unleashed a volley of punches. The Hadalis tried to crush her with its fist, but she caught it, and pushed back, sending it back a few feet. Coral jumped and kicked it hard with both feet, sending it crashing straight into a wall.

"Had enough yet?" Coral said.

"Oh, no," Karkinos said. "We're only just getting started."

"Huh?"

Before Coral realized what was going on, the inner tube Hadalis opened its air valve. A sudden blast of wind came at her, blowing her across the room and causing her to hit the wall, hard.

"Cure Coral!" Onda and Costa yelled in horror, flying over to where she lied on the ground.

"You almost had me there. But as I said before, I won't lose to you again," Karkinos said.

The Hadalis walked over to where Coral lied. Natasha had had enough. She knew what was coming next. She ran over as fast as she could and stood in front of Coral, taking a defensive stance. "Hey, knock it off!"

"Natasha... No..." Coral choked. "Don't get yourself involved..."

"Listen, I really have no idea what is going on here," Natasha said. "But from what I can tell, you're hurting all these innocent people, and you're hurting my best friend! Now, let me tell you something, Karkles, or whatever your name is, I am Natasha. _And I don't let anyone mess with my friends!_ "

A bright light suddenly shined. Coral's eyes widened as she mouthed 'No way'.

Natasha looked around. "Huh? Where did this light come from?" She looked down at her hands, and she noticed in them was now a locket, just like Coral's, engraved with the image of a sea shell, but while Coral's was pink, this one was blue. "And where did this come from?"

"It's another one! Another Pretty Cure!" Onda said.

"Natasha, that is called a Soak Locket," Costa said.

"Just put it on and say the magic words, 'Pretty Cure, Tidal Power'!"

Natasha put on the locket. "Let's do this!"

" _ **Pretty Cure, Tidal Power!**_ "

Waves of light came out of the Soak Locket and surrounded Natasha. She was underwater, surrounded by blue and gray bubbles. Colonies of bubbles began to form around her, starting with her shirt and hoodie. When the bubbles popped, she was now wearing a blue shirt with a dark blue sailor collar with long ties in the front. A few more bubbles appeared, and a gray starfish brooch appeared on her chest.

The bubbles moved down to her jeans. When they popped, they revealed a bright blue wrap skirt with a scale pattern, made of shiny fabric, almost as if the skirt were actually covered in scales. The hems of the skirt were lined with sheer gray fabric, while underneath the skirt, she wore dark blue bike shorts.

The bubbles finally moved to her sneakers, and when they popped, she now wore sandals, with dark blue soles and gray straps. She raised her hands above her head, and on her wrists, fine pearl bracelets appeared. She brought her hands down on top of her head, and her dark blue hair became a lighter blue and grew slightly longer, a small section of it being pulled up into a small side ponytail on the right side of her head, held up by a gray seashell hairclip.

The transformation was complete. The new Precure grinned. " **The defender of the sea with an ocean of strength...** " She planted her feet firmly on the ground and posed, her right hand on her hip and her left hand in a fist, raised high above her head. " **Making waves, _Cure Storm!_** "

The light faded. Natasha, now Cure Storm, looked down at herself. "This just keeps getting weirder and weirder, but, I like this."

"There's another one?" Karkinos said. "Fine, this changes nothing. I still won't lose."

"Do you need some help?" Costa asked Storm.

"I think I've learned plenty just from watching Coral back there. Stick close just in case, though, okay?" Storm said.

Storm ran up and threw a strong punch toward the the Hadalis, sending it back several feet. "Woah, I'm stronger than I look!" She threw another, and a third, backing the Hadalis up against the wall. The Hadalis tried to open its air valve again, but Storm saw it coming, jumping out of the way just in time. "Nice try, but that won't work twice!" She brought down both feet on top of the Hadalis, stunning it.

"Finish it off, quick, quick!" Onda said.

"Right," Storm said, pointing at the Hadalis. "Let's end this!"

" **Pretty Cure...** " Storm snapped her fingers, a spark of electricity forming. She held her hands close together, as the electricity built up, forming larger and larger bolts that jumped between her hands, until they all formed together into one, single, large bolt. " **...Storm Strike!** " She thrusted a finger toward the Hadalis, and the bolt of lightning shot out of her fingertip toward the monster. The Hadalis was cleansed and turned back into a normal inner tube. A sudden light shone, and when it faded, all the damage done during the battle was fixed, as if nothing had happened. The civilians unfroze, and Coral felt suddenly restrengthened and got up.

"...Lady Ceto won't be pleased." Karkinos formed a dark bubble around himself, and when it popped, he was gone.

Coral and Storm also formed bubbles around themselves, and when they popped, they were normal Marie and Natasha again.

"Well, uh," Natasha looked over at Marie. "That certainly was a thing that happened."

"Nat, you did amazing!" Marie threw her arms around Natasha.

"Yeah, I did, didn't I?" Natasha said. "And you were pretty great too! You would've won if it weren't for that blast of air!" She held up her Soak Locket, comparing it to Marie's. "And look, now we match!"

"Pretty Cure!" Marie said, holding a hand up for a high five.

"Yeah!" Natasha returned the high five. "Pretty Cure! Whatever that means!"

* * *

It was strange, seeing the once-proud Queen of Waves reduced to the mess that sat behind the bars before Siren.

Siren placed down the tray on the floor near the bars and stepped back. "Eat."

It was a paltry meal, only a stale loaf of bread and a cup of water. Just enough to keep Thalassa alive. She reached through the bars, picking the items up. She glanced up at Siren. "What is your name?"

"Why do you care?" Siren shot back.

"Simple curiosity."

"Siren."

"Siren," Thalassa repeated to herself. She took a bite of the bread, wrinkling her nose at its staleness. "Those clothes... You must be high-ranked. Do you serve directly under Ceto? Are you one of her generals?"

"Yeah," Siren said. "What's with the questions?"

"I'm simply trying to understand something," Thalassa replied. "How old are you, Siren?"

"I'm 15 years old."

"Why is someone so young serving as one of Ceto's generals?"

Siren crossed her arms. "I'm tougher than I look!"

"That's not what I meant." Thalassa frowned. "What I mean, is that you must have only been an infant during the war, 15 years ago. You don't even remember it. Why do you fight for her?"

Siren scowled. "Don't think that just because I'm too young to remember it, I wasn't affected by it!" She pointed a finger at Thalassa. "You... It's because of you that my birth parents are dead."

Thalassa didn't know what to say in response. "I... I'm sorry."

"Yeah," Siren said, "I'm sorry too. I'm sorry for all the other children of Abyss who don't have parents anymore, all because of you. I'm sorry for the children who never got a chance to grow up, all because of you." She turned her back on the former queen. " _You're a murderer_."

The words stung. But Thalassa knew them to be true.

"I think we're done here," Siren said, before quickly leaving the cell.

* * *

 _ED: Ride~The~Waves_

* * *

 **ON THE NEXT EPISODE:**

Natasha: Alright! Let's get looking for our next teammate.

Marie: Hmm... What about... That Talia girl?

Natasha: Really? Her? But she's, like, super spoiled and stuff!

Marie: But you don't really know that! You don't really know her personally, do you?

Natasha: Uh...

Marie: What if I try to make friends with her? Next time on Pretty Cure Ocean Splash: **Cure Pearl comes out of her shell!** Let the waves rush over you!


	3. Cure Pearl is out!

"Mom! I'm home!" Natasha called, flipping on the lights as she entered the house. Marie followed behind her.

"Mom?" Another call, no response. Natasha looked over to the table, where the expected note was sitting, alongside some cash.

 _Nat,_

 _Working the late shift tonight at the diner again. Here's some money for takeout. XOXO, Mom_

"Can you chill for a bit? This'll just take a second," Natasha said, sliding her phone out of her pocket.

Marie gave a thumbs-up, and plopped herself down on the couch. While she waited, she took a look around the very many picture frames decorating the shelves, the majority of them being pictures of Natasha and her mother together. The two of them on the beach, standing in the waves with their arms draped across each other's shoulders. A trio of pictures of Natasha with her mother on her first days of school- One from Natasha's first day of elementary school, a second one from her first day of middle school, and a third one from her first day of high school. And many, many more. Natasha and her mother were very close, and they sure did love to show it. It never failed to bring a smile to Marie's face.

With a 'thanks' and a 'bye', Natasha finished up the call and hung up. "I tell ya, me and that delivery boy are on first name basis at this point," Natasha said, sitting herself down next to Marie on the couch. "Alright, so, now that I've gotten that out of the way, you and those fairy penguin things are gonna explain this whole 'Pretty Cure' thing to me, right?"

"Right," Marie reached for her bag. "Come on out, you two!" She opened it up, allowing the penguins out. "So, this is Onda, and this is Costa," She said, pointing between them. "Fairies from someplace called the Kingdom of Waves."

"Uh, hi!" Natasha greeted them. "My name's Natasha Burke!"

"Hello, hello!" Onda said.

"Nice to meet you," Costa said, extending a flipper, which Natasha shook.

"Well, I'm really new to this Pretty Cure thing myself, I mean, I only became one just yesterday, but, I'll do my best to explain," Marie said. "Onda, Costa, feel free to correct me on any mistakes I make or fill in any details I miss."

"I'm all ears," Natasha said.

"So, you and me are Pretty Cures, legendary warriors with the powers to protect the world. Right now, our main goal is finding these things called the Gems of Tide. I already found one, which I how I ran into these two yesterday, and there are five in all, so we have four more to find."

Natasha smirked. "So, we just have to find some rocks? That's it?"

"Well, not quite," Marie said. "We're not the only ones looking for them. There's also Abyss. That guy we fought, Karkinos? He's a general of Abyss. We need to find all the Gems of Tide before they can, and we have to fight and protect people from their Hadalis monsters."

"Wow, so we're like superheroes!" Natasha said, her eyes wide and a huge grin plastered across her face.

"Did I forget anything?" Marie asked Onda and Costa.

"You forgot to mention the fact that if Abyss finds the Gems of Tide before we do, they'll flood the universe!" Onda said.

Natasha's grin disappeared, and her eyes grew even wider. "Uh. Okay, hold up," She said. "Is... Is it too late to back out? I mean, holding the fate of the universe in my hands, I'm... Not so sure about that."

Costa glared at her sister. "Onda!"

Marie frowned. "It's an important thing to tell her, I guess, but you could've been more gentle in your delivery," She said.

"So... Is that a no on the backing out, then?" Natasha said.

* * *

 _OP: "Swim! Splash! Precure!"_

 **EPISODE 3:**  
 _"Cure Pearl comes out of her shell!"_

* * *

Saturday. No school today or tomorrow. A day just for rest and relaxation. And after the previous two days, Marie _definitely_ needed it. However, halfway through her bowl of cereal, as she was sitting cross-legged on the couch watching cartoons, her phone started going off, with a stream of texts from Natasha. Marie tried to ignore it for a while, but the texts wouldn't stop coming, and reluctantly, she replied.

 **NATASHA**

 _yo marie you up yet_

 _?_

 _marie_

 _marmar_

 _maaariiieee_

 _mason_

 _you take forever to text back why_

 _answer meeeeeee_

 **MARIE**

 _You know most people just text once and wait for a reply_

 **NATASHA**

 _well im not most ppl :P_

 _and neither are you precure pal_

 **MARIE**

 _Precure pal? really?_

 **NATASHA**

 _its just a temp name ok until we come up w/ a better one_

 _anyway im comin over_

Marie tried to text back 'not now', until she heard a knock on the back door. She sighed. The disadvantage to living right next to your best friend. She put down her bowl of cereal, went over and opened the door. As expected, Natasha was standing there.

"Hello!" Natasha said.

"You could've at least put on some proper pants before running over here," Marie replied, stepping aside to allow Natasha in.

Natasha crossed her arms. "I'll have you know I slept with no pants on last night. These pajama bottoms are an upgrade. Besides, you're wearing a pair, too."

Marie laughed and rolled her eyes. "Because I live here!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever, always making the excuses," Natasha shook her head. "Anyway, on to the reason I came over here! Where are the penguins?"

"They're upstairs, in my bed, asleep, just like everyone else in this house besides me," Marie said, "So, try and keep your voice down, maybe?"

"Sorry," Natasha said. "So, can you go get the penguins, then?"

"Yeah, hold on," Marie said. She headed upstairs and into her room, smiling when she saw Onda and Costa curled up around each other as they slept. _Too cute_. It was a shame she had to wake them up. "Alright, time to get up, you two," Marie said in a gentle voice as she scooped them up in her arms.

Costa slowly blinked awake. "Morning already?"

"Natasha's here," Marie said. "Important business, apparently, or else she wouldn't have come so early, and she wanted me to get you two."

Costa poked her sister. "Onda, wake up."

Onda made an irritated noise. "It's too early."

Marie gave her a few pokes as well. "I agree with you there," She said. "Natasha's pretty loud, and aggressive, and pushy. But she means well."

Marie headed back downstairs. "I've got them," She said as she sat herself down on the couch next to Natasha. "Now, what's so important that you had to come over here this early?"

"Okay, so, you know how you told me yesterday that there are supposed to be two other Cures besides us?" Natasha began. "Here's my idea: Today, we head out and look for our next teammate!"

"Shore City's a big place, Nat," Marie pointed out.

"I know that," Natasha replied. "But can't the penguins, like, sense who's meant to become a Pretty Cure or not? Is that a thing they can do?"

"I don't think it works like that," Marie said.

"You're right, Marie. It isn't predestined who becomes a Pretty Cure and who doesn't," Costa said. "Anyone can become a Pretty Cure, as long as they have the strength and desire to protect the world."

"Oh," Natasha said.

Onda likely would have said something as well, but she had fallen back asleep. Costa poked her repeatedly with her flipper. "Onda, come on! Stay awake and pay attention!"

"Well, we can at least try and find people who have to _potential_ to become a Pretty Cure," Natasha said.

"But like I just said, we live in a big city," Marie said. "Can't we just rest and relax today? It's Saturday, and after the past two days, I was really looking forward to getting to just sit back and relax."

"Don't be that way, Marie," Natasha said. "We're like superheroes now! We can never rest, never relax. Protecting the people of Earth is a full-time job!"

"Fine, fine, we can do at least a little searching today," Marie said. "Let me relax at least until 10, though, alright? It's too early right now, most people are still asleep. Plus, we both still need to take showers and get dressed."

Natasha nodded. "Alright, that's fair."

* * *

A few hours later, Marie and Natasha were now clean, dressed and ready for the day. Onda and Costa stayed inside Marie's bag as the two girls headed out in search of their next teammate.

"Alright, I've got a good feeling about today!" Natasha said. "Marie, I know you said you were worried about this taking forever, so you'll be happy to know that I've already got a list of possible candidates in my head!"

"Really?" Marie said. "Since when have you ever been prepared for something?"

Natasha laughed at that. "Your words are harsh, but they're also true." She said. "But yes, I have a list, it's real, and in fact, there's one of my candidates right there!" Natasha pointed towards a girl walking ahead of them. "Carlita Benitez! A very close friend of mine from the swim team. She's cool, and tough, and almost as fast as me in the water."

"Well, if she's anything like you, she'd probably make a great Cure," Marie said with a smile.

Natasha nodded. "Yo, Carla!" She called.

Carlita turned around, and sighed when she saw who it was who was calling to her. "How many times have I told you? Only my close friends can call me Carla. To you, it's Carlita."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say, Carlita," Natasha winked. "This is my best friend, Marie!"

"Hello, there," Carlita said.

Marie waved slightly. "Uh, h-hi."

"Anyway!" Natasha said. "Carla, would you consider yourself to be someone who has the strength and desire to protect the world?"

"It's Carlita, but, um, sure, I guess?" Carlita said.

"And superheroes! What do you think about superheroes? Don't you think superheroes are really awesome?" Natasha said. "Wouldn't it be super cool if you were a superhero?"

"Uh, yeah, I guess it would."

"Yeah!" Natasha exclaimed.

"Uh, Nat..." Marie began.

"Look, what is up with all these weird questions?" Carlita asked Natasha.

Natasha grinned. "Oh, no reason."

Carlita frowned. "Yeah, okay, I'm gonna go now, if that's alright with you."

"Yep, that's fine," Natasha gave her a thumbs-up. "See you later!"

As Carlita turned and walked away, Natasha turned and smiled to Marie. "I think she's definitely a strong candidate!"

"Nat, I don't think Carlita actually considers you to be her friend," Marie said.

"What? _No,_ " Natasha said. "She was just playing around! You know when you see a close friend in public and they act like they don't know you to make you look like an idiot? It's, like, the oldest trick in the book! You've even done it to me before."

Marie rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Whatever you say, Nat."

* * *

The rest of the day was pretty much the same as it was with Carlita. Natasha going up to random people she happened to know, asking them strange questions, and inevitably confusing them and making them want to run off.

"Well, who's next?" Marie said, as they walked away from the latest candidate.

"Okay, you're not gonna believe this," Natasha said, "Buuuuut that was actually the last person I had in mind."

Marie sighed. "We've been out here all day, and we're not any closer to finding our next teammate."

"At least I've been trying!" Natasha said. " _You_ haven't come up with any ideas on how to find our next teammate!"

"Well, I do have an idea, if you'd just let me talk about," Marie said.

"And what would that be?" Natasha said. "What, we just go up to some random person neither of us know and see if they have the potential to become a Pretty Cure?"

"Well, actually," Marie looked across the street, toward a somewhat familiar face, sitting on a bench and reading a book. It was Talia Fontaine, the girl Marie had bumped into two days earlier.

"What, _her?_ " Natasha said. "What makes you think _she_ could be a Pretty Cure?"

"I don't know," Marie said, "I just have a good feeling about her. I can't explain it. I just saw her and I thought about how she and I bumped into each other, two days ago, the same day I became Cure Coral. I mean, I know our roles as Pretty Cure weren't predestined, so it was probably just chance that we bumped into each other, but I'm just thinking maybe she could have the potential we're looking for."

"Oh, come on. There's no way she has _any_ potential to become a Pretty Cure," Natasha said. "Don't you remember what I told you about her? She's spoiled and snobbish and bratty!"

"But you don't know her personally, do you?" Marie asked Natasha.

"Well, no, but-"

"Exactly! You don't know a thing about her, you're just assuming!" Marie said. "What if she's actually really nice? What if she's-"

" _Ahem._ "

Marie and Natasha both jumped, startled by the sudden voice. They looked up to see the voice had come from Talia herself. She had crossed the road at some point, Marie and Natasha too busy with their conversation with their conversation to notice her. And Talia looked very, very angry.

"Don't think I haven't noticed the two of you staring at me," Talia said, her voice full of anger. "It's weird, and it's creepy, and I want you to _stop!_ "

Marie was shocked. "I-I-I-I'm s-s-sorry, uh, w-we were j-j-just, we d-didn't..." She felt her eyes welling up with tears, and she tried to blink them away. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Natasha mouthing 'I told you so'.

However, what shocked Marie even more was when she watched at Talia's angry expression transformed before her eyes into a concerned expression.

"Oh, oh no, I'm so sorry, that came out much meaner than it was supposed to," Talia said. "Okay, look, you, uh, probably hate me now, and I wouldn't blame you, okay, let me just start over. Hello, I'm Talia. What's your name?"

Talia held out a hand, which Marie shook. "Uh, I'm Marie."

Talia nodded, and she turned to Natasha. "And what's your name?"

"My name's Natasha," She said.

"Okay, Marie and Natasha," Talia said, pointing to the two of them as she repeated their names. "I'll remember that."

"Oh, uh, Talia?" Marie said. "I don't hate you. I was pretty shaken by your words at first, but, then I saw how concerned you were about my feelings afterwards, and, well, you seem just fine to me."

"I... Thank you," Talia said with a smile. "It really means a lot for you to say that, actually." Talia looked down at her shoes. "I, uh, feel kind of awkward asking this, but, you two just seem so nice, and... I'll get to the point. Would you two like to come over to my house and hang out for a little while, maybe?"

Marie smiled. "I'd like that."

"I'm down," Natasha said.

Talia grinned. "That's... That's great! Let's go, follow me."

She turned and began to walk off, and Marie and Natasha followed.

"Still think she doesn't have the potential?" Marie whispered to Natasha.

"Shut up, we just know she's nice. That doesn't prove anything about her potential to become a Pretty Cure," Natasha whispered back.

* * *

 _Eyecatch 1: Marie, Natasha, Talia and Ruth are all in beachwear, chasing Onda and Costa along the beach. Marie, however, trips on a rock and falls right on her face. The others laugh and help her up as the Precure Ocean Splash logo appears in the corner._

 _Eyecatch 2: Standing in a line, the girls all hold oyster shells in their hands. One by one, they open them up. Marie opens hers up, nothing, Natasha, nothing, Ruth, nothing, but when Talia opens hers up, inside is a sparkling pearl. The others look at her while she proudly smiles, and the Precure Ocean Splash logo appears._

* * *

It was a long walk out to edge of town where the large mansion belonging to the Fontaine family was, but it was worth it. The mansion was a sight to see. Not only was the building itself beautiful, but it was surrounded by large, stunning gardens. Between rows of blooming spring flowers, gardeners could be seen working. Talia led Marie and Natasha to the front door and led them inside.

"Make yourself at home, but make sure you wipe your feet on the mat," Talia said. "One of the maids, Katherine, she _hates_ it when I track dirt inside. No doubt she's already cleaned the floors today."

The two of them did so. Even just the foyer was beautiful, with marble floors, big, fancy windows, fine pieces of art along the walls, a huge, intricate crystal chandelier hanging above, and the centerpiece of the whole room, a huge, marble staircase.

"This place is amazing!" Natasha said.

"I know, I live here," Talia replied. "Come on, this way." She led them upstairs to her bedroom. Her bedroom was beautiful, too. There was a glass door to a balcony overlooking the gardens. She had a queen-sized bed, covered in a pretty bedspread and many fluffy pillows. There was a makeup table with big fancy mirrors, its surface covered in various expensive-looking cosmetics. A big TV was mounted on the wall, and she even had a walk-in closet and her own bathroom.

"This place is really nice," Marie said.

Talia smiled. "Thank you."

"You know, Talia," Natasha said, "I have to admit that before I actually met you, I thought you were some kind of stuck-up, snobby, spoiled brat. But you're actually a pretty cool gal!"

"A lot of people think that about me, actually, so, don't worry too much about it," Talia said. "I'm used to it, and... I can understand why. I'll be the first to admit that I am pretty self-absorbed and arrogant at times, and I'm definitely spoiled. I've been given everything I've ever asked for for my whole life. But you know what else? I'm also really sheltered. I have very poor social skills. A lot of the time, I say things the wrong way or act the wrong way and I end up hurting people, like I hurt you earlier, Marie. So, I'm already spoiled and snobbish, and then people think I'm rude too."

"But you're not," Marie said. "You really are kind."

"Thank you," Talia said. "I just wish other people knew that. I don't like to admit it, but I really am lonely. I wish I could make friends."

" _We're_ you're friends," Marie said.

"Yeah!" Natasha said. "From now on, I'll beat up anyone who thinks you're rude without even getting to know you first!"

"You don't need to go _that_ far," Talia said.

"It's not about _need,_ " Natasha said, "It's about _want._ "

"Just let her, it's hard to get her to back down from something like that," Marie said. "Trust me, I've known her my whole life."

"Marie, I was wondering why you seemed so familiar," Talia said. "I just placed it. We bumped into each other on Thursday, didn't we?"

"Yeah, we did," Marie said.

"That's right!" Talia exclaimed. "You started to apologize, and I tried to think of something to say, but I couldn't think of anything, so I just clammed up and walked away. Sorry about that."

"Don't worry about it," Marie said. "It's in the past."

"Yeah," Talia said.

"Honestly, even if your social skills are poor, you still have good qualities," Marie said. "Besides the fact that you're so nice, you're also confident and assertive. You didn't like me and Natasha staring at you, and you came right up and told us that.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Talia said. "Oh, um, do either of you mind if I run to the bathroom?"

"Not at all," Marie said.

Natasha chimed in. "When you gotta go, you gotta go!"

"Alright, I'll just be a second," Talia said. She headed inside her bathroom, shutting the door and locking it.

* * *

It was a beautiful garden, Siren thought to herself.

She hadn't been on Earth for very long. But she already felt disgusted with the way the people of Earth did things.

"I don't get it," She said, looking at all the gardeners lining the rows. "Why are the people on this planet so selfish? When they don't want to do work themselves, they make other people do it for them. You can boast all you want about your lovely garden, but if you didn't do any work on the garden, didn't do a thing and just made other people work on it, it's not really yours, is it? Abyss is a much better place than Earth. In Abyss, everyone pitches in, if they're able. Even high-ranking generals like me, and even Lady Ceto sometimes. We all help hand out food or water or help build homes and things like that. The exact opposite of this selfish, selfish place they call Earth."

Siren held out her hand, and a Hadal Vial appeared in it. "Right, like Karkinos taught me..." She uncorked the vial and waved her hand over it, as a few drops of the dark liquid came out and floated around her hand. She looked around, trying to find something suitable to use as a base. Finding a pair of abandoned garden shears, she said, "That'll do nicely."

"Rise from the depths... Hadalis!" Siren pointed her fingers toward the garden shears, and the drops flew toward it, transforming them into a monstrous Hadalis when they made contact. The gardeners all around suddenly collapsed as the Hadalis began to sap their life energy.

* * *

"Marie, Marie!" Came a tiny voice from inside Marie's bag.

Marie opened it up. "Onda? Costa? What's going on?"

"There's a Hadalis nearby!" Onda said.

"Oh, come on, not now!" Natasha said. "We're kind of in the middle of something."

"Wasn't it you who said this morning that protecting the people of Earth is a full-time job?" Costa pointed out.

"Fine, fine, you're right," Natasha said. "Where's that Hadalis?"

Marie and Natasha glanced outside to the balcony, where they saw the Hadalis passing by.

"Does that answer your question?" Marie said.

The two of them headed out onto the balcony, preparing their Soak Lockets.

"Alright, just like you did yesterday," Marie said.

"Right!" Natasha said.

" _ **Pretty Cure, Tidal Power!**_ "

" **The defender of the sea with an ocean of bravery... Making a splash, _Cure Coral!_** "

" **The defender of the sea with an ocean of strength... Making waves, _Cure Storm!_** "

"Pretty Cure!" Siren said. "Karkinos told me all about you. I've been waiting for you to show up."

"You must be another general of Abyss, like him," Coral said.

"Who else would I be?" Siren said.

"You don't exactly look like one," Storm said. "You don't look to be much older than us, honestly!"

Siren scowled and crossed her arms, her face turning red with anger. "Shut _up!_ Who _cares_ if I'm young? I'm still going to destroy you! Hadalis, attack them!"

The garden shear Hadalis, with its pincer-like hands made of smaller pairs of garden shears, tried to snip at Coral and Storm, who both nimbly jumped out of the way, just in time. Coral fiercely kicked the Hadalis in its side, sending it skidding toward Storm, who punched it with all her might, sending it skidding back toward Coral. They went back and forth like this for a little while, the Hadalis helpless to escape. Siren's face grew redder and redder as she watched it happen.

" _Stop it!_ " Siren yelled. "You're not even giving my Hadalis a chance to attack! That's not fair!"

"This is a _fight,_ " Storm said, kicking the Hadalis back toward Coral. "Who ever said it was supposed to be fair?"

This only served to make Siren even angrier.

Finally, Coral and Storm decided to let up on the back-and-forth. As the Hadalis sat there helpless, momentarily stunned, the two Cures joined hands, leaped up, and both brought their feet down hard on top of the Hadalis, stomping on it together. Landing on the ground, the two of them froze when they heard the glass door to the balcony open behind them.

"What... What is going on out here?" They heard Talia's voice call. "Marie? Natasha? Is that you?"

Coral was shocked. "Oh no! How'd you know it was us?" She said.

"Coral, wait..." Storm said.

"Please don't tell anyone, Talia! You have to keep it a secret!" Coral said.

"Well, I actually wasn't sure at first if it was you two or not, but..." Talia said.

"See? Now look what you've done!" Storm said. "You've exposed us!"

"Look, Talia, just stay out of this, okay?" Coral said. "Just go back insi-"

She was suddenly interrupted by the Hadalis' claw sweeping by and knocking the two of them off of their feet. It had recovered while they had been talking to Talia.

"No!" Talia cried. "That's not fair, I was distracting them!"

Siren just grinned. "This is a fight. Who ever said it was supposed to be fair? Also, this gives me an idea."

"Don't you dare," Coral said as she got up.

"Oh, I dare," Siren said. "Get the girl, Hadalis! The girl on the balcony! Crush her!"

Talia was frozen in place by fear as the Hadalis' claw began to come down on top of her. Coral and Storm sprung into action, jumping and catching it just before it could crush Talia. They landed beside her on the balcony as they struggled the hold the claw up.

"Talia, run," Coral said, beads of sweat running down her face.

"What?" Talia said. "Why?"

"Well, we can't exactly hold this up forever," Storm said. "You don't want to be crushed into a bloody, messy pulp, do you? Having to clean up your remains, now _that'll_ make that maid of yours angry, I bet."

"No," Talia said. "I'm not going to run. You two are the first people who have ever been friendly and nice to me in who knows how long. I can't leave you behind. _I won't leave you behind!_ "

Just as Coral and Storm's strength finally failed, a bright light suddenly shined, sending the Hadalis back a few yards.

"What?" Siren said. "What's going on?"

Surrounded by light, Talia looked around, confused. "Huh?" She realized in her hands, there was now a locket, just like Coral's and Storm's, but while theirs were pink and blue respectively, the one in Talia's hands was white. "What's this?"

"It's her!" Onda said. "She's the third Pretty Cure!"

"That's called a Soak Locket," Costa said.

"Yeah!" Onda said. "Put it on and say the words, 'Pretty Cure, Tidal Power'!"

Talia put the locket on. "Whatever you say."

" _ **Pretty Cure, Tidal Power!**_ "

Waves of light came out of the Soak Locket and surrounded Talia. She was underwater, surrounded by white and lilac bubbles. Colonies of bubbles began to form around her, starting with her dress. When the bubbles popped, she was now wearing a white shirt that was short and exposed her midriff, with a lilac sailor collar with short ties in the front. A few more bubbles appeared, and a light purple starfish brooch appeared on her chest.

The bubbles moved down to her tights. When they popped, they revealed a white wrap skirt with a scale pattern, made of shiny fabric, almost as if the skirt were actually covered in scales. The hems of the skirt were lined with sheer purple fabric, while underneath the skirt, she wore light purple bike shorts.

The bubbles finally moved to her shoes, and when they popped, she now wore sandals, with purple soles and white straps. She raised her hands above her head, and on her wrists, fine pearl bracelets appeared. These weren't the only pearls she got, however. Higher up on her arms, pearl armbands also appeared, and on her ankles, pearl anklets also appeared. She brought her hands down on top of her head, and her blonde hair turned pale lilac and grew slightly longer, and it was pulled up into two big pigtails on either side of her head, held up with purple seashell hairclips.

The transformation was complete. The new Precure smiled. " **The defender of the sea with an ocean of confidence...** " She posed, with one foot on the ground and the other bent at the knee with her foot up in the air behind her, and her arms up above her, forming a Y shape. " **Diving in, _Cure Pearl!_** "

The light faded. Talia, now Cure Pearl, looked down at herself, her eyes wide. "Wow..."

Siren's face became the reddest yet. " _Another_ Pretty Cure!?"

"Cure Pearl!" Coral and Storm said in unison.

"Follow our lead, okay?" Coral said. Pearl nodded.

Coral jumped into the air, and brought both her fists down on top of the Hadalis. Storm jumped in, too, giving the Hadalis a downward kick. Following their example, Pearl also leaped into the air, at first a bit startled at just how high she could jump, and kicked the Hadalis straight in its face. She began to punch it over and over. While that distracted it, Coral and Storm took hold of the Hadalis' arms, holding onto them tight and pinning it in place.

"We've got it, now's your chance, Pearl!" Storm called. "Finish it off!"

Pearl stepped back. "I can do this!"

" **Pretty Cure...** " Pearl raised her hand up into the sky, a bright light shining down from above. A small ball of light formed and began to grow in her hand. The light grew brighter and brighter, like a tiny star in her hand. " **...Pearl Flash!** " She thrusted the hand holding the ball of light forward, and a blast of light surged out of it toward the Hadalis. The Hadalis was cleansed and turned back into an ordinary pair of garden shears. A sudden light shone, and when it faded, all the damage that had occurred during the battle was fixed, as if nothing had happened. The gardeners all came to and got up, unaware of what had just happened.

Siren's face was a shade of red originally thought not to exist naturally. She didn't say anything. She just formed a dark bubble around herself, and when it popped, she was gone.

Coral, Storm and Pearl also formed bubbles around themselves, and when they popped, they were normal Marie, Natasha and Talia again.

"Man, Talia, you were awesome!" Natasha said.

"I really was!" Talia said.

Marie smiled at her friends. "We make a great team."

* * *

 _ED: Ride~The~Waves_

* * *

 **ON THE NEXT EPISODE:**

Marie: Three members of the team! We only have one more to find.

Natasha: With my method, we'll find our final teammate in no time!

Talia: Uh, I'm not so sure about that...

Marie: Why don't we try someone we already know?

Natasha: Someone we already know? Like who?

Marie: What about Ruth? She's so smart, organized, trustworthy...

Natasha: Hmm... You might be onto something there!

Talia: I haven't even met her yet, but she sounds like a good choice!

Marie: Next time on Pretty Cure Ocean Splash: **Together as One! Cure Kelp sprouts!** Let the waves rush over you!


	4. Cure Kelp sprouts!

"Come on, come on, let's move!" Natasha said, marching ahead proudly. "We've still got plenty of time in the day to spare!"

"We've been at this for _hours_ ," Talia said.

"It's good exercise," Natasha replied.

"Nat, all this running around, talking to random people you know didn't get us very far yesterday," Marie said. "We're tired. Can't we just go home?"

Talia's eyes widened. "Wait, she made you do this _yesterday_ , too?"

Marie let out a small laugh. "I know, she's ridiculous."

Natasha crossed her arms. "Come on, you know you love me."

"Well, you know, after today and yesterday, I'm not so sure anymore," Marie said jokingly.

"I can't believe this," Natasha said. "And from my own best friend!"

"Anyway, I _would_ like to go home now," Marie said. "It's a school night tonight, and I've got homework to do. So do you, Nat, and we both know those grades of yours can't afford more missed homework assignments."

"You're right, you're right," Natasha said. "Fine, fine, we'll call off the search for today, at least."

"Talia, you don't go to our school, do you?" Marie asked.

Talia shook her head. "No, I go to the private school, Atlantic Academy."

"Right," Marie said. "We'll see you after school tomorrow, then."

"Okay," Talia said, turning and leaving. "Bye!"

"See ya!" Marie said.

"Later!" Natasha called.

* * *

 _OP: "Swim! Splash! Precure!"_

 **EPISODE 4:**  
 _"Together as One! Cure Kelp Sprouts!"_

* * *

Siren looked down at her feet, full of shame. "You're... You're not gonna let me go on any more missions to Earth, are you?"

"Well, disregarding the fact that Lady Ceto is barring me from doing that," Karkinos said, "I'm proud of you, honestly. You may have been defeated, but I won't lie to you and say I've never been defeated before. The main objective of your mission was to collect life energy for the people of Abyss, and that's what you did."

"Really?" Siren said. "You're not mad at me or disappointed in me?"

"Of course not." Karkinos put a hand on Siren's shoulder. "I should apologize. I should've trusted you that you were capable of doing it."

Siren smirked. "So you admit it, then. I was right and you were wrong!"

"Hey, now, don't make me take it all back," Karkinos said.

Just then, the two of them heard a voice, seemingly coming from nowhere. "Aww, isn't that sweet?"

Another voice, this one beginning with a giggle. "So sweet!"

"Scylla, Charybdis," Karkinos called, "Here to interrupt one of our conversations again?"

Scylla and Charybdis stepped out of the shadows, their arms draped around each other, which was a usual sight.

"Don't be so cold, Karkinos," Scylla said. "That wasn't sarcasm you heard. I genuinely thought that was a sweet moment."

Siren rolled her eyes. "What you two want, anyway?"

"Ceto's sending us on a mission to Earth!" Charybdis said.

"That would be _Lady_ Ceto, my dear Charybdis," Scylla said. "You must always remember to pay her the proper respect."

"Sorry, Scylla," Charybdis said. "I'll remember it next time!"

"Lady Ceto is sending you two out _together?_ " Karkinos said.

"She knows we work better as a team," Scylla said.

"Scylla, shouldn't we get going?" Charybdis said.

"Yes, you're right," Scylla said. "Be seeing you two."

Scylla and Charybdis stepped back into the shadows, disappearing.

Siren crossed her arms. "Those two. What's their deal?"

"I wish I knew," Karkinos said, chuckling a bit.

* * *

Mondays were always the hardest.

Marie almost considered just turning her alarm off instead of hitting the snooze button, but decided against it. While it may have taken her a bit to get moving, before long she was up, showered, dressed and ready for school, Onda and Costa tucked safely inside her backpack, as usual.

She headed downstairs, only to find her mother wasn't there. Jack was there, however, seated at the table and taking bites out of a microwaved breakfast sandwich.

"Morning," Jack called. He reached over across the table and grabbed a piece of paper that was sitting there, and held it up for Marie to see. "Mom left us a note. She had to head into work early today, but there's frozen breakfast sandwiches in the freezer. Stick one in the microwave for a couple of minutes."

"Okay, thanks," Marie said. She headed over to the cabinet and pulled out a paper plate.

"So, I saw you hanging out with some girl I didn't recognize yesterday," Jack said.

Marie reached into the freezer and brought out one of the breakfast sandwiches. "Yeah, I was," She said, unwrapping the sandwich. "What about her?"

"Well, I didn't recognize her," Jack said. "I know all your friends. Probably because you don't have many of them."

"Rude!"

"I only say it because it's true," Jack teased.

Marie stuck the sandwich on the plate and popped it in the microwave, setting it to cook for 2 minutes. "She's a new friend, me and Nat just met her on Saturday, actually."

"What's her name?"

Marie leaned against the counter. "You're not gonna believe this, I bet, but," Marie began, "Talia Fontaine."

"Okay, hold on," Jack said. "Fontaine. You can't _possibly_ mean... _That_ Fontaine."

Marie smiled. "That would be the one."

"Fontaine as in... The multimillion dollar resort company," Jack said in disbelief.

"Yes, that's correct," Marie said.

"Fontaine as in that huge mansion out on the edge of town?" Jack said.

"Hey, how many times are you gonna make me repeat myself?" Marie said. "Yes, yes, that exact Fontaine."

" _Wow,_ " Jack said, his eyes wide. "My little sister, friends with a Fontaine. How in the world did _that_ happen?"

"Let's just say that it's a long story," Marie said.

"Well, I want to hear all of it," Jack said.

Marie looked away. "I'm not so sure about that."

"Fine, don't tell me, then," Jack said.

The microwave's alarm went off, startling Marie a bit. She opened it up, reached in and gave the sandwich a few pokes. It was still a little cold in the center, but it was good enough. She pulled it out and went over to the table, setting herself down next to Jack.

"I won't," Marie said.

" _Now_ who's rude?" Jack gave her a gentle, playful punch on the arm.

Natasha finally walked in through the kitchen door, announcing herself with a loud, "I'm here!"

"About time you showed up," Jack called to her. "Sorry to say that our mom's not here for you to bug this morning."

"Darn," Natasha said, "That's always the highlight of my morning."

"How come you don't act that way around your mom, or Ruth's parents?" Marie asked.

"Because I haven't known Ruth's parents for as long as I've known yours," Natasha said. "As for my mom, well, she's my mom, so she's stuck with me no matter what I do!"

Marie laughed a little, shaking her head at Natasha. "And when you meet Talia's parents?"

Natasha grinned. "They're _rich_. I'll probably lick their boots."

Jack sighed. "Of all the people we could've been neighbors with, we got _you_ , Natasha."

"And your lives is all the better for it!" Natasha exclaimed. "You really should be grateful, Jack. I know _I'm_ grateful for getting to meet this lovely lady right here." She threw an arm around Marie.

"I'm flattered, but we should get going, now," Marie said.

"Good idea," Jack said, reaching for his car keys.

"Fine, fine, you're right," Natasha said, releasing Marie, "But know this, Marie, you can't escape my affection forever!"

* * *

It was lunchtime. Marie and Natasha were seated at a table together. Neither had gotten their lunch yet, as they were waiting for Ruth to show up.

"So, Marie," Natasha said.

"So?" Marie questioned.

"About my method for..." Natasha leaned in close, lowering her voice to a whisper. " _Finding our next teammate_."

" _Finding our next teammate?_ " Marie whispered back. " _Nat, we need to give that method up. It hasn't done us any good so far._ "

" _Come on, Marie,_ " Natasha said. " _I came up with a new list and everything last night. I think I'm really onto something._ "

" _Why don't we try someone we already know and are close to?_ " Marie suggested.

" _Who, Jack?_ " Natasha said.

" _No, Ruth,_ " Marie said.

" _Ruth? Why Ruth?_ "

" _Just think about it,_ " Marie said. " _She's smart, nice, reliable, honest. She could be what we're looking for._ "

" _Maybe,_ " Natasha said. " _I still think my method was great, though._ "

"Hello," Ruth greeted, having finally arrived.

"Ruth! Hey!" Natasha waved at her.

"What were you two talking about?" Ruth sat down across from Marie and Natasha.

"N-nothing!" Marie said.

"Well, okay, then," Ruth said.

Marie felt a buzzing in her pocket. Her phone was going off. Pulling it out, she saw she was getting text messages- from Natasha. Natasha had started a group chat with Marie and Talia.

 **NATASHA**

 _yo talia can you talk rn_

 _important precure business_

 _its cool if you cant_

 **MARIE**

 _We're sitting right next to each other why are you texting me_

 **NATASHA**

 _we gotta keep it a secret from ruth duh :P_

 **TALIA**

 _I'm here, who's Ruth?_

 **NATASHA**

 _friend of ours_

 _we gotta introduce you_

 _marie thinks shes got precure potential_

 _even though my method to find teammates was working just fine_

 **MARIE**

 _No it wasn't_

 **NATASHA**

 _ignore marie im always right_

 **TALIA**

 _All those failed candidates tell a different story._

 **NATASHA**

 _dont be a hater talia_

 _i hate haters_

 **TALIA**

 _I would like to meet her for myself. We could meet at the park today after school, maybe?_

 **NATASHA**

 _sounds good ill tell her_

"Who are you two texting?" Ruth asked.

"Just a new friend we made the other day," Marie said.

"Her name's Talia," Natasha added.

"Talia, huh?" Ruth said. "Any chance I could meet her?"

"We were just talking about that, actually!" Natasha said. "How's this afternoon, after school in the park?"

"This afternoon?" Ruth pulled an agenda out of her bag, paging through it. "Let's see... I'm light on homework tonight, and I don't have anything scheduled. Yes, this afternoon sounds great!"

"Awesome, I'll let her know!" Natasha went back to her phone, and texted away. When she was done, she leaned toward Marie, and started to whisper again. " _My method is still the best._ "

" _We'll see_ ," Marie whispered back.

* * *

The park was truly lovely this time of year, spring blossoms of all kinds blooming throughout and a gentle breeze blowing through the leaves of the trees. Marie and Natasha led Ruth through it, keeping an eye out for Talia. They finally found her, sitting on a bench beneath a tree, reading a book.

"There she is!" Natasha pointed. "Talia! Hey!"

Talia looked up, and waved slightly. She put her book away and stood up as the three of them walked over to her.

"Introduce yourselves," Marie said.

Ruth held out a hand to Talia. "I'm Ruth Hansen, nice to meet you!"

"Um..." Talia stared. She looked over to Natasha and whispered. " _Why did I agree to this? I'm terrible meeting new people, you and Marie know that firsthand._ "

" _It's not that bad, relax,_ " Natasha whispered back. " _We already know her, and she's super nice. Just introduce yourself._ "

Talia took Ruth's hand, giving it a stiff shake. "My name is Talia Fontaine."

"Wait, Fontaine?" Ruth said. "Wow, _that_ Fontaine?"

"Um, yes, _that_ Fontaine," Talia said.

Marie chuckled. "I had the same experience this morning with my older brother."

Talia looked back toward Natasha. " _Now what should I do?_ "

" _Break the ice by complimenting her,_ " Natasha said.

" _Compliment her, right, got it,_ " Talia said. " _That... That's easy. I can do that._ " She took a deep breath.

"I think you're really pretty!" Talia suddenly blurted out.

Silence.

The whole group's eyes were on Talia.

Ruth stepped back, a bit dumbfounded. "Wow, um, thank you?" She said. "But, we just met."

Natasha gave Talia a gentle slap on the back. "That was too forward!" She said.

"Sorry, it was just the first thing that came to mind!" Talia said.

"While it's _true,_ I was thinking more along the lines of 'I like your sweater' or something!" Natasha said.

"You think I'm pretty too, Natasha?" Ruth said.

"I think _all_ girls are pretty, I don't discriminate," Natasha pulled Talia and Ruth in close and started to whisper. " _Marie's the prettiest, though._ "

Marie tried to hear what Natasha was saying, but couldn't.

"Okay, we kind of got off on the wrong foot there," Ruth said, "So, let's start over. Hi, I'm Ruth." She held out her hand for Talia to shake.

"Hello, I'm Talia," Talia said, taking Ruth's hand and shaking it, with more confidence this time. "...And I like your sweater."

Ruth smiled warmly. "Thank you! And I like your dress."

Talia smiled back. "Thank you."

* * *

 _Eyecatch 1: Marie, Natasha, Talia and Ruth are all in beachwear, chasing Onda and Costa along the beach. Marie, however, trips on a rock and falls right on her face. The others laugh and help her up as the Precure Ocean Splash logo appears in the corner._

 _Eyecatch 2: Standing in a line, the girls all hold oyster shells in their hands. One by one, they open them up. Marie opens hers up, nothing, Natasha, nothing, Ruth, nothing, but when Talia opens hers up, inside is a sparkling pearl. The others look at her while she proudly smiles, and the Precure Ocean Splash logo appears._

* * *

Things went much better after that. As it turned out, the book Talia was reading when the group had found her sitting on the bench was one of Ruth's favorites. As the two of them talked more and more, they soon found they had similar tastes in many other books as well.

Marie was standing off from them a bit. She watched Talia and Ruth talked, and smiled. She was happy to see them getting along so well.

Natasha came up to her, grinning. "Well? Are they lovebirds, or are they lovebirds?"

"Come on, Nat, they just met," Marie said.

"Sure, sure, they have, but remember, the first thing Talia thought when she saw Ruth was 'she's really pretty'," Natasha said. "I'm just sayin'."

Marie shrugged. "I'll give you that."

"Why don't we give those two some... _Alone time?_ " Natasha said.

Marie raised an eyebrow. "What are you suggesting?"

"I'm just thinking we could head to the vending machines and get some snacks, gosh!" Natasha said. "What were _you_ thinking? Get those filthy thoughts out of your mind!"

"My mind is squeaky clean, unlike yours," Marie said, crossing her arms.

"You're right, you're right," Natasha said. "Can you pay for the snacks, though? I'm a little short on cash."

"No problem," Marie said.

Marie and Natasha walked over to the bench where Talia and Ruth were sitting.

"Hey, we're about to head over to the vending machines, do either of you two want anything?" Natasha said.

"No, thank you," Talia said.

"Could you get me some mint gum?" Ruth said.

"Nothing for Talia, mint gum for Ruth, got it!" Natasha said, giving a thumbs up.

Marie set her backpack down next to bench. "Keep an eye on that for me while we're gone, please," She said.

"We can do that," Ruth said.

"Thanks," Marie said.

Marie and Natasha walked off, leaving Talia and Ruth alone together. There were other people, of course, other visitors to the park scattered around them, but none of them payed the two of them any mind, so they were, effectively, alone.

Ruth breathed a relaxed sigh as she leaned back in the bench, reclining. "You know, Talia," She said, "I've had a really good time today, so far. You're a really interesting person, it was nice getting to know you."

"I feel the same way," Talia said. "I'm glad I came out today."

"Did you mean it?" Ruth asked.

"Mean what?"

"Earlier, when you said you thought I was really pretty," Ruth answered. "Did you mean it? Do you really think that?"

Talia paused before she answered. "Yes, I did mean it. It really was the first thing I thought when I saw you." She said. "I thought you didn't like me saying that. That it was awkward."

"Well, it was a little awkward at first, yeah," Ruth said, "But thinking back on it, I'm more flattered than anything else. And I wanted to make sure if you really meant it or not."

"Well, I'm glad you're flattered, then," Talia said.

"I think you're really pretty, too," Ruth said.

Talia felt heat rising to her race. "You... You do?"

"Yeah," Ruth said. "That's not too weird, is it? To call each other pretty when we've only just met?"

"I don't there's anything wrong with that," Talia said. "Just finding another person attractive aesthetically. Just taking a look at someone and thinking they look nice. It's not a big deal, nothing major behind it."

"Just... Aesthetically? Oh." Ruth frowned. "I guess so."

"You sound disappointed," Talia said.

Ruth didn't say anything.

Talia glanced over to Marie's backpack. "Oh, would you look at that," She said. "Marie left her wallet here. She can't buy snacks without it. I'll run and give it to her." She pulled the wallet out of the unzipped side pocket, and ran off. Now, Ruth was alone.

 _Wow, I really messed that one up, didn't I?_ Ruth thought to herself.

She was pulled from her thoughts, however, when she heard noises. Noises, coming from Marie's backpack. It sounded like... Tiny voices calling Marie's name? She scooted over and debated whether or not to invade Marie's privacy, but figured she would probably never find out, anyway. As long as Ruth was quick about it. She unzipped the backpack, and saw... Stuffed penguins? She was about to zip it back up, when one of them spoke.

"You're not Marie!"

Ruth almost fainted right there on the spot.

"W-What the heck?" She said, shocked.

"Calm down," The other penguin said. "My name is Costa, and she's my sister, Onda. Could you take us to Marie, please? Something really dangerous is about to happen, and she knows how to handle it."

"What's going on?" Ruth said. "What's about to happen? Am... Am I in danger? Is Talia in danger? Are Marie and Natasha in danger?"

"You might be!" Onda said.

"Onda, don't say that!" Costa said. "Just get us to Marie and run away as far as you can. You'll be safe, we promise!"

"But what about my friends?" Ruth said. "If they're in danger, I can't leave without them!"

"You have to trust us!" Costa said.

"Marie's really strong!" Onda said. "She'll know what to do."

"O-Okay," Ruth picked up the backpack, and as she looked up, noticed two strange women, a taller, skinnier one and a shorter, chubbier one, their arms linked.

"This looks like a good place, Scylla," The shorter one said. "Lots and lots of people. Plenty of energy to be harvested for Abyss!"

"Yes, Charybdis," The taller one, Scylla, said. "You've picked an excellent place. Now, you know what to do, don't you?"

Charybdis held out her hand, and a small vial containing a dark, opaque liquid appeared in it. She uncorked the vial and waved her other hand over it, and a few drops of the liquid floated out of the vial and swirled around her hand.

"Run, now!" Onda said.

"And don't look back!" Costa said.

Ruth started running, in the direction Marie, Natasha and Talia had went, toward the vending machines.

"Hold on, Charybdis," Scylla said. "That girl. She has the penguins, I could see them."

"We gotta go after her, then!" Charybdis said.

"There, that bench," Scylla pointed, "Use that as the base for your Hadalis."

"Okay," Charybdis said. "Rise from the depths... Hadalis!" She pointed her fingers at the bench, and the drops flew toward it, transforming the bench into a monstrous Hadalis when they made contact. All around, visitors to the park collapsed suddenly, the Hadalis sapping their life energy. Ruth, however, at that point, was a safe enough distance away- But still close enough to look back and see it all happening. She was horrified.

"What's happening? I don't understand any of this!" Ruth cried.

"I told you not to look back!" Costa said.

"Hadalis, go get her!" Charybdis bellowed.

The Hadalis began to chase after her. Ruth began running as fast as she could. She had to get to Marie, like the penguins had told her. Then, everything would be alright.

She finally ran into the group, on their way back. She fell to her knees, out of breath, as she held out the backpack to Marie.

"Are you alright, Ruth?" Talia asked.

"You were really in a hurry," Natasha said. "You really wanted this gum, huh?"

Onda and Costa flew out of the backpack.

"Marie! We've got trouble!" Onda said.

The penguins pointed back, to the Hadalis closing in on the group.

"Oh, no," Marie said. "Ruth, get behind us."

The three of them stepped in front of Ruth, forming a protective barrier.

"Wait, we're supposed to be keeping our identities a secret, right?" Talia said. "Is it really okay if we transform right in front of Ruth?"

"If you have to, yes," Costa said.

"Secret identities? Transform?" Ruth said. "Can someone please explain to me what's going on?"

"You're about to find out," Natasha said.

"Ready, girls?" Marie said.

Natasha and Talia nodded.

" _ **Pretty Cure, Tidal Power!**_ "

" **The defender of the sea with an ocean of bravery... Making a splash, _Cure Coral!_** "

" **The defender of the sea with an ocean of strength... Making waves, _Cure Storm!_** "

" **The defender of the sea with an ocean of confidence...** **Diving in, _Cure Pearl!_** "

"What... What the _heck?_ " Ruth said, in disbelief.

Scylla and Charybdis had caught up with them, along with the Hadalis.

Scylla spoke first. "Pretty Cure. Charybdis and I have heard _so_ much about you from Karkinos and Siren," She said.

"But now me and Scylla are gonna crush you!" Charybdis said.

"Yeah, sure. I bet you couldn't even crush a paper cup!" Storm said.

"Hadalis, destroy them!" Charybdis commanded.

Coral and Storm leaped into action. Pearl paused for a second, looking back toward Ruth. "Stay here, okay?" She said.

Ruth nodded. "Okay."

Pearl smiled, and followed the other Cures.

Coral and Storm latched onto the legs of the Hadalis, locking it in place. Pearl leaped in, kicking the Hadalis hard in the face. Coral and Storm punched its legs, tripping it.

"Wow, they're strong!" Ruth remarked.

"Oh, we'll see." Scylla said.

Before any of them could finish it off, the Hadalis quickly managed to get back up.

"How did it get up so quickly?" Pearl said.

"Maybe because the two of them are together," Coral said. "The Hadalis they make could be slightly stronger."

"We'll just have to keep hitting it!" Storm said.

The three of them dashed forward, each of them giving it punch after punch, again knocking it over, but it still got up faster than anyone could finish it off. They tried again. They joined hands, leaping up into the sky and landing directly on top of the Hadalis. Even leaving a small crater, the Hadalis still got up quickly.

"Aww, come on, I felt great about that one," Storm said.

"Are you ready for _this?_ " Charybdis said, grinning.

Before the Cures could react, the Hadalis itself suddenly jumped high into the air. As it landed, it created a harsh tremor that sent the Cures high off the ground, before slamming them back down again, hard.

"No!" Ruth screamed in horror.

"I just got a great idea, Scylla!" Charybdis said. "What if, before we kill the Pretty Cure, we make them watch us kill their friend, first?"

Scylla smiled. "That is an excellent idea."

"Hadalis, crush that girl!" Charybdis yelled.

The Hadalis began heading for Ruth. The Cures, hurt badly, struggled to get up. The three of them turned to Ruth.

"Run," Coral said.

"Don't worry about us," Storm said.

"Save yourself," Pearl said.

"No," Ruth said. "I already said I wouldn't run away by myself. If my friends are in danger, I can't leave them behind! _I have to protect my friends!_ "

A bright light shined. The Cures all suddenly felt filled with strength.

"No," Scylla said, her face turning into a scowl.

"What's going on?" Charybdis said.

Ruth was surrounded by light. She looked down into her hands, and found she was now holding a locket, like the ones Coral, Storm and Pearl all had, but this one was green. "How did I get this?"

"We did it, we found the final Pretty Cure..." Costa said.

"You've got a Soak Locket, Ruth!" Onda said. "Put it on!"

"Once you've done that, say the words 'Pretty Cure, Tidal Power', got it?"

Ruth put the locket on. "I'll try it!"

" _ **Pretty Cure, Tidal Power!**_ "

Waves of light came out of the Soak Locket and surrounded Ruth. She was underwater, surrounded by green and teal bubbles. Colonies of bubbles began to form around her, starting with her sweater and shirt. When the bubbles popped, she was now wearing a light green shirt with a darker green sailor collar with short ties in the front. A few more bubbles appeared, and a teal starfish brooch appeared on her chest.

The bubbles moved down to her skirt. When they popped, they revealed a green wrap skirt with a scale pattern, made of shiny fabric, almost as if the skirt were actually covered in scales. The hems of the skirt were lined with sheer teal fabric, while underneath the skirt, she wore light green bike shorts.

The bubbles finally moved to her shoes, and when they popped, she now wore sandals, with green soles and teal straps. She raised her hands above her head, and on her wrists, fine pearl bracelets appeared. She brought her hands down on top of her head, and her brown hair turned green and grew much longer. Still in its side ponytail, it was tied with a green bow with a teal seashell clip in the center.

The transformation was complete. The new Precure smiled. " **The defender of the sea with an ocean of intelligence...** " She posed, with her feet wide apart and one hand stretched high out above her. " **Swimming in, _Cure Kelp!_** "

The light faded. Ruth, now Cure Kelp, looked down at herself. "This is really strange... But I like it!"

Coral, Storm and Pearl all looked at each other, grinning.

"Okay, so, how do I do this?" Kelp jumped up into the air, shocked a bit at how high she found she could jump. "Like... This?" She punched the Hadalis straight between the eyes, knocking it back a few feet.

"Oh, wow," Kelp said. "I did that?"

"Kelp!" Coral called. "Follow us!"

"Okay!" Kelp called back.

Coral gave the Hadalis an uppercut, with Storm coming down on top with a downward kick. The two of them began punching the Hadalis over and over, and it was distracted, trying to knock them off.

Pearl came over to Kelp. "I'll take the right side, and you take the left. As Coral and Storm are distracting it, we can come in with punches on either side."

"Sandwich it between us?" Kelp said. "We can do it!"

Kelp dashed do the left side of the Hadalis, as Pearl told her to. Pearl took the right side, and on the count of three, the two of them launched themselves toward the Hadalis, fists on either side, just as Coral and Storm had jumped up into the air and brought hard kicks down on top of it.

The Hadalis was on the ground. Storm and Pearl latched onto its legs, while Coral took hold of one of its arms. It fought and struggled as hard as it could, but finally, with the combined strength of three Cures holding it down, it was successfully pinned to the ground.

"Now's your chance, Kelp!" Coral called. "Finish it off, before it breaks free!"

Kelp nodded.

" **Pretty Cure...** " Kelp knelt down on the ground and held her hands over it. A tiny sprout of seaweed began to grow out of the ground. She rose to stand as the sprout grew, until it was as tall and she was, and it began to circle around her like a vine. " _ **...Kelp Dance!**_ " She thrust her hands forward, and the seaweed lashed out like a whip, toward the Hadalis, wrapping around it and constricting it. The Hadalis was cleansed and turn back into an ordinary bench. A bright light shined, and when it faded, all the damage done during the battle disappeared, as if nothing had happened. All the visitors to the park woke up, unaware of what had just happened.

Scylla and Charybdis said nothing, but they looked very angry. They formed a bubble around themselves, and when it popped, they were gone.

The Cures all also formed bubbles around themselves, back to their ordinary selves when they popped.

"One, two, three, four!" Onda said. "We did it! We found all the legendary warriors!"

"A lot faster than I thought we would, too," Costa said.

"Ruth, you did great," Marie said.

"Yeah, you were totally awesome!" Natasha said.

"Really?" Ruth said. "I was mostly just following what you all told me to."

"You were amazing, Ruth," Talia said, smiling.

Ruth smiled back. "Thanks."

"Oh, hey, Ruth, by the way, before I forget," Natasha said, "Here's your gum." She pulled the packet of gum out of the pocket of her jacket, and handed it to Ruth.

"Oh, um, could I have a piece?" Talia asked.

Ruth opened the packet, and pulled out a piece, handing it to Talia. "Here," She said.

"Thank you," Talia said.

Natasha leaned over to Marie, a smirk on her face. " _So? Lovebirds?_ "

Marie laughed. "It's just gum, Nat!"

* * *

 _ED: Ride~The~Waves_

* * *

 **ON THE NEXT EPISODE:**

Ruth: So, what is it that we're fighting for, exactly?

Talia: I want to know, too. You've only given us a vague explanation and told us you'd explain more later.

Costa: Hmm... Yes, with the team complete now, I think it's time we told you.

Natasha: Wait, so there's actually more to it than just fighting weird monsters before they destroy the world?

Marie: Nat, I thought that would be obvious!

Natasha: It was simple and easy to understand. Now it's gonna be all complicated. Who wants to deal with all that "backstory" stuff? Not me!

Onda: Come on, everyone! Me and Costa will tell you a story!

Marie: Next time on Pretty Cure Ocean Splash: **The Tale of the Kingdom of Waves!** Let the waves rush over you!


	5. The Tale of the Kingdom of Waves!

_(AN: Warning for child death this chapter. It isn't graphic, but please be aware.)_

Ceto pressed a hand against her temple. Another civilian complaining about low rations. Was someone stealing them, perhaps? She would have to check. Of course she cared deeply for her people, but on that day of all days, she truly needed a break. So many promises of 'I will do what I can', 'This will be fixed as soon as possible', she wasn't sure how many of them she could keep.

She watched the civilian leave the throne room, and not long after, Karkinos came in.

"He was the last one for today," He said, with a bow.

Ceto got up from the throne. "Good."

"Lady Ceto, are you alright?" Karkinos asked. "You don't seem well."

"I'm just a bit tired," Ceto said. "Karkinos, do you know what day it is today?"

"It's..." Karkinos paused. "Oh, it's the anniversary, isn't it? With all that's been happening, I completely forgot."

"On this day, fifteen years ago, Thalassa launched the final attack, and so many died," Ceto said. "To have the Gems of Tide today, it would be so poetic."

"Fifteen years, and it still hasn't gotten any easier," Karkinos said.

"No, it hasn't." Ceto went over to a side door off the throne room, and motioned for Karkinos to follow her. "Come."

It was a small room, but it was well used. It was decorated with lit candles and all kinds of flowers. At the far end of the room, two large portraits were mounted on the wall, one of an old man, and the other of a younger man, labeled 'Aegaeon' and 'Phorcys', respectively.

Karkinos followed Ceto as she picked up two bouquets of flowers and went over to the portraits.

"Father," She said as she placed one bouquet beneath the portrait labeled 'Aegaeon'. She placed the other bouquet under the portrait labeled 'Phorcys', and said, "My love."

Karkinos placed a hand on Ceto's shoulder. "I am truly sorry, Lady Ceto."

Ceto didn't look at him, and instead kept her gazed locked on the portraits in front of her. "Thalassa took everything from me," She said, "And so, I will take everything from her."

* * *

 _OP: "Swim! Splash! Precure!"_

 **EPISODE 5:**  
 _"The Tale of the Kingdom of Waves!"_

* * *

"And here we are!" Ruth proclaimed as she lead the group into her house.

The television was on, and some kind of superhero movie was playing. Someone paused it, and Ruth's older sister, Charlotte, popped up from the couch, a bright smile on her face. "Ruth! Hi!"

"Hi, Charlotte!" Ruth said.

"Hey," Marie said.

"What's up?" Natasha said.

"Marie, Nat, hey!" Charlotte looked over to Talia, who seemed to be trying to act like she wasn't there. "And there's someone new!"

"This is my new friend, Talia," Ruth said, throwing an arm around Talia.

Talia looked up, startled. "Uh, hello."

"Well, nice to meet you, Talia!" Charlotte greeted.

"Are Mom and Dad home yet?" Ruth asked.

"Nope, not yet," Charlotte answered.

"Alright," Ruth said. "Well, we're just gonna be hanging out upstairs, don't mind us!"

"Okay, and I'll be down here!" Charlotte said. She turned back toward the TV and unpaused the movie.

Ruth led the group upstairs and to her bedroom. Inside, everything was clean and organized. Ruth's bed was perfectly made, and the books on her bookshelf were all neatly lined up in even rows. Notebooks, pens, pencils and other supplies lined up on the desk made for an ideal place to study and do homework, and even Ruth's closet was neat and tidy.

Marie, Natasha and Talia walked into the room, and Ruth shut the door behind them.

"Make yourself at home, everybody," Ruth said.

Marie unzipped her bag. "Onda, Costa, it's safe to come out now," She said, opening the bag wide to let the fairies out.

"Today has been _wild_ ," Ruth said. "You _are_ going to explain everything to me now, right?"

"Of course," Costa said. "Better yet, now that all four of the Pretty Cure are gathered, it's time we told you all the full story."

"The full story... of what, exactly?" Talia said.

"The Kingdom of Waves!" Onda exclaimed.

"Yes," Costa said. "Of our birthplace, the Kingdom of Waves, what's going on there, why we came here, and on your mission as Pretty Cure."

"Well, we're listening!" Natasha said.

"It's a pretty long story," Costa said. "You all might want to sit down for this."

Marie and Talia sat down next to each other on Ruth's bed, while Natasha decided to sit on the floor, leaning her back against the bedside. Ruth pulled up her desk chair and sat down in it.

"Everyone, listen carefully as me and Costa tell you-" Onda posed to add emphasis, "-the tale of the Kingdom of Waves!"

"Not sure if the pose was necessary," Costa said. "And _I'll_ probably be telling most of it. Onda tends to forget a lot of important facts."

Costa cleared her throat. "The Kingdom of Waves is... _was_ a magical oceanic kingdom beneath the sea, beautiful unlike any other. Onda and I were the guardians of the Kingdom's most precious, sacred treasures: five magical jewels known as the Gems of Tide. Used together, the Gems allow their user complete control over the power of the seas."

"And... I found one of them," Marie said.

"That's right!" Onda said.

"How did you lose them in the first place?" Natasha said. "You two were supposed to be the guardians!"

"I'll get to that," Costa continued. "It all started with our previous ruler, King Nereus, and his wife, Queen Doris. You're all already familiar with the generals of Abyss. Abyss is a country neighboring the Kingdom of Waves. Obviously, we aren't on good terms now, but we were, once. And then, all that began to unravel with the assassination of Queen Doris."

"What happened to her?" Ruth asked.

"No one knows how it happened, or even why. She was found one morning with a knife embedded in her chest," Costa said. "The culprit was never found, but King Nereus immediately accused Aegaeon, king of Abyss, of orchestrating the assassination. Without proof, it didn't lead to war, but Aegaeon was deeply insulted by the accusation, and it drove a wedge between the Kingdom of Waves and Abyss."

"How did it turn into war, then?" Talia asked.

"On his way to a peace council in Abyss, King Nereus was ambushed by a force of soldiers led by King Aegaeon, and was killed," Costa said. "No one knows why. It seems extreme to strike back against an accusation of murder with actual murder. Perhaps Aegaeon was jealous of how Nereus's people frolicked in the shallows while his wasted away in the depths. War was declared, and Nereus's eldest daughter, Thalassa, took the throne. No one knew at the time just how long the war would last. The years passed by, an end to the war far out of sight, but eventually, the Kingdom of Waves seemed to be near victory."

* * *

"Your majesty," The servant said, "General Proteus is waiting for you in the war room."

"Thank you," Thalassa said, "Tell him I'll be there in a moment, and Pontus will be there, as well."

The servant bowed, and left the room.

"I never said I wanted to go," Pontus said.

"No," Thalassa said, "But I assumed you would like to be there. The war is nearly over, and we've almost won. This is important for both of us."

"Indeed." Pontus placed a gentle hand on Thalassa's stomach. She hadn't started to show quite yet. "I want our child to grow up in a time of peace, not war."

"I know," Thalassa said. "I do, too."

"Are you sure General Proteus won't suggest using the Gems of Tide again?" Pontus asked.

"He has no reason to," Thalassa said. "With the war nearly won for us, there's no need for such drastic measures. Besides, he already knows my answer will always be no."

"We can only hope," Pontus said. "Let's not keep them waiting any longer."

It was only a short walk to the war room. General Proteus was there, as expected, but there was an unexpected guest.

"Amphitrite," Thalassa said. "I didn't know you'd be interested in the meeting."

"Hello, sister," Amphitrite said. "You don't mind me joining in, do you?"

"You're always welcome," Thalassa said, smiling.

"Queen Thalassa, King Pontus," General Proteus said with a bow. "I heard about your pregnancy, your majesty. Congratulations."

"Thank you," Thalassa said.

"Let's get started," Proteus said.

The group surrounded the war table, its surface covered with a map, with representations of troop movements, forts and similar.

"As you can see," Proteus began, "Our troops have marched deep within Abyssal territory, and we've finally cornered their army within their capital. There's no where left for them to run. I say we launch an all-out attack from all sides upon the capital. There will be no escape, forcing King Aegaeon to surrender."

"I trust your judgement, General," Thalassa said.

Amphitrite spoke up. "But we will let Aegaeon live, won't we?"

"Why are you so compassionate toward the people of Abyss, Princess?" Proteus asked. "Need I remind you that they are responsible for the murder of your father?"

"Are we truly any better if we allow the murder of innocents?" Amphitrite said. "Don't think I haven't forgotten your plan to use the Gems of Tide. How could anyone forget, with how much you've pushed my sister to go through with it?"

"Are you calling King Aegaeon innocent?" Proteus shot back.

"That's quite enough, General," Thalassa said. "Amphitrite is right. Assuming King Aegaeon surrenders peacefully, we have no reason to kill him."

"Thank you, Sister," Amphitrite said.

If Proteus was angered by this, he didn't show it. "Very well, your majesty," He said. "I would like to say that, as this will be a battle to end the war at last, I believe it would be symbolic to have a member of the royal family to join in the battle. Your skills in battle are great, Queen Thalassa, you certainly know how to wield a trident, but I doubt with your pregnancy you would like to join. King Pontus, Princess Amphitrite, would either of you like to?"

"I'll go," Amphitrite said. "After all, someone has to make sure you keep your word and let Aegaeon live."

"I will, as well," Pontus said.

"Thank you both," Proteus said. "May we lead our kingdom into a time of peace and prosperity."

Thalassa was more nervous than she liked to admit. A week later, she watched from her balcony as the army marched out, Proteus leading, Pontus and Amphitrite at his sides. Amphitrite rode proudly upon her prized hippocamp, named Bythos, her head held high.

Thalassa tried her best to ignore the icy feeling of uncertainty that took hold of her at that moment, and told herself that by that time the next week, the war would be over.

* * *

"So..." Talia began, "How did the battle go? Did they win?"

Onda looked away and frowned.

"Somehow, Abyss knew we were coming," Costa said. "No one knows how we were found out, but they had prepared, and our army was decimated. Over half were killed, and among the dead, were..."

"King Pontus and Princess Amphitrite," Onda finished sadly.

"Oh, no," Ruth said.

Costa continued the story. "Queen Thalassa, obviously, did not take it well. Her husband and her younger sister were dead, her army was at less than half the size it was, and of course, the war would continue. And yet, fate still wasn't done with her."

* * *

Princess Thetis was born weak and sickly. Thalassa blamed herself. Upon her army's great defeat and the death of Pontus and Amphitrite, she entered a deep depression and neglected to take care of herself. The neglect showed when her daughter came into the world and Thaumus, the royal physician, almost declared the child dead upon birth. He said it was unlikely Thetis would survive the night, and when she was found alive the next morning, unlikely she would survive the week. And now, here she was, a month old, and still alive. Not completely well, but she was alive.

Thalassa held her daughter carefully. She was so small, so delicate. Thetis meant the world to her. In the first days of the child's life, Thalassa was constantly worried about her, but as time passed, the queen's hopes grew. Thetis was getting better and better every day. She was still weak, Thaumus had said, but she was doing very well, and he had little doubt that she would grow into a healthy, strong girl. Thalassa took it as a sign. If Thetis could recover, so, too, could the Kingdom of Waves.

Thetis was breathing shallowly at the moment, evidence of her lingering weakness.

Thalassa placed a gentle kiss upon her daughter's forehead. "Be strong, my little Thetis," She whispered. "You are the hope of the Kingdom of Waves, and my hope, as well."

There was a knock at the door. Thalassa carefully placed Thetis down in her cradle, and went to get it. When she opened it, she found Thaumus there.

"You're late," Thalassa said.

"I'm aware, your majesty, and I'm terribly sorry," Thaumus said. "I was treating another patient, and I couldn't afford to hurry."

"I understand," Thalassa said. "You're forgiven."

"Thank you, your majesty," Thaumus said. "How is Princess Thetis?"

"Her breathing is shallow," Thalassa said.

"Well, let me have a look at her," Thaumus said.

Thalassa stepped aside, allowing Thaumus to enter the room. "Please do."

The two of them approached Thetis's cradle, and as Thalassa reached in to pick her daughter up, she was happy to find that Thetis had stopped breathing shallowly. As Thalassa held Thetis in her arms, however, she realized Thetis wasn't breathing at all. Her eyes were shut and she was completely still.

"Queen Thalassa, is she-?" Thaumus choked.

Thalassa didn't say anything. She didn't make a sound as tears slipped out of her eyes, falling downward and landing on Thetis's body.

* * *

 _Eyecatch 1: Marie, Natasha, Talia and Ruth are all in beachwear, chasing Onda and Costa along the beach. Marie, however, trips on a rock and falls right on her face. The others laugh and help her up as the Precure Ocean Splash logo appears in the corner._

 _Eyecatch 2: Standing in a line, the girls all hold oyster shells in their hands. One by one, they open them up. Marie opens hers up, nothing, Natasha, nothing, Ruth, nothing, but when Talia opens hers up, inside is a sparkling pearl. The others look at her while she proudly smiles, and the Precure Ocean Splash logo appears._

* * *

"N-No way," Marie said. "That's..."

" _Gnarly_ ," Talia finished.

"You sound like a surfer, Talia." Natasha shrugged. "Not the word I would've gone with, but it works."

Ruth looked down. "So... What did Queen Thalassa do then?"

Onda looked away, tears in her eyes.

Costa frowned. "Something none of us are proud of."

* * *

 _"You've already lost so much, Queen Thalassa!" Proteus said. "A husband, a sister and a daughter!"_

 _Thalassa remained silent._

 _Proteus continued. "I'm a husband and a father. My family means the world to me. Surely you understand, your majesty!"_

 _Thalassa frowned. "Of course I do, General."_

 _"And I'm not alone. How many families live in the Kingdom of Waves?" Proteus said. "How much longer must we worry if our family is going to be next? How much longer will you allow your people to live in fear? End the worries, end the fear. Please, I'm begging you, your majesty. You can put an end to all of this, and finally let your family's souls rest. Use the Gems of Tide, and finally bring an end to this terrible war that has already costed us far too much."_

 _"I..." Thalassa paused. Was she really doing this? "...I'll do it."_

That conversation had happened only two weeks before, but to Thalassa, it felt like an eternity. She had been so nervous and anxious as she counted down the days until they would march. She rode atop her hippocamp, Aphros, riding beside General Proteus and they led the army toward Abyss. Having the army there with them was more symbolic than anything else. There would be no battle on this day.

The border was in sight now. Thalassa could first see a fort along the edge, and then beyond the fort, further off in the distance, a village came into view. Already, she could see Abyssal soldiers along the walls of the fort, pointing to the approaching army, preparing for battle. Poor souls. They had no idea what was about to happen.

The army came to a stop, and General Proteus turned on his hippocamp toward Thalassa. "Your majesty, it's time."

Thalassa nodded. Reaching into her saddlebag, she pulled out a box, and opened it to reveal the Gems of Tide. She reached toward them, and the Gems immediately responded to her, floating out of their case and into her waiting hands.

"Hold the box for me while I do this," Thalassa said.

"Of course," Proteus said, reaching and taking the box from the queen.

Thalassa's heart was pounding and her hands were shaking. She took a deep breath, raising her hands high above her head. The Gems of Tide began to glow, and floated out of Thalassa's hands, instead floating in a circle around her. Immediately, she felt the currents around her picking up in speed. Some of the soldiers around her looked worried as they, too, felt it. They had no reason to feel worried. The seas would obey Thalassa's every whim. They would all be unharmed. The same could not be said for Abyss.

Another deep inhale, and then an exhale. The Gems of Tide glowed blindingly bright, and their full power was being unleashed. Thalassa looked ahead toward the border as the fierce tides ripped toward Abyss. The fort, standing strong, crumpled like a house of cards. Less than a second later, the village was flattened. How long would it take to reach Abyss's capital? A few minutes at the most.

Already, Thalassa could hear screaming.

What was it that Amphitrite had said?

 _"Are we truly any better if we allow the murder of innocents?"_

* * *

"And so Abyss was almost completely destroyed, and the war ended at last." Costa said _._ "That was... fifteen years ago, today."

Marie, Talia and Ruth all sat in stunned silence, unsure of what to say. Finally, Natasha spoke up.

"Are... Are we the bad guys?" Natasha asked. " _Are we the bad guys?!_ "

"No, no!" Onda said. "What happened then was really awful, but you've seen for yourself what Abyss does! They're hurting people!"

"That's the thing, Onda," Costa said. "Abyss are up to some nasty stuff themselves, but I'm wondering if the Kingdom of Waves _deserves_ it."

Marie frowned. "What's going on today, then?"

"After the end of the war, Queen Thalassa asked any Abyssal people, whether they were born in Abyss or were just of Abyssal descent, to leave the Kingdom of Waves. If they refused to leave, they were forced out. And one of those people forced out was a woman named Ceto," Costa explained. "Enraged at Queen Thalassa for driving her out and destroying her homeland, Ceto seeked revenge. Confined to the ruins of Abyss, Ceto became a leader to the survivors, who saw her as a beacon of hope. For fifteen years, she built up Abyss, built up an army. About a month ago, she finally struck back, making short work of our army and quickly cutting her way through the Kingdom of Waves."

"She got to the royal palace, and, me and Costa, we..." Onda said, "...We failed in our duty as guardians of the Gems of Tide. Instead of standing our ground, we hid." Onda started crying. "It's all our fault! I'm sorry, Queen Thalassa! I'm sorry!"

"Onda, please stop crying." Costa gave her sister a pat on her back. "I promise it's not our fault. But... Yes, we did hide. Queen Thalassa sent the Gems of Tide to Earth before Ceto could get to them, because of the Pretty Cure, the legendary warriors from Earth, who she hoped would awaken and find the Gems before Ceto could. Ceto confronted Queen Thalassa, and easily defeated her in battle. She took the queen hostage, and then finally... Onda and I came to Earth to find the Pretty Cure, and the Gems of Tide."

"We really have to find the Gems of Tide, the fate of all worlds is at stake!" Onda said. "We should get started _really_ soon!"

Ruth raised her hand. "I'll do it."

Talia raised her hand, too. "Count me in, too."

"I'm in," Natasha said, raising her hand. "I mean, it's probably too late to back out, anyway!"

"Marie?" Ruth said.

"Huh?" Marie said. "Me?"

"You're in, too, aren't you?" Talia asked.

"Oh!" Marie raised her hand, grinning. "Of course I am!"

"It's decided, then!" Ruth said. "We're a team! And I've watched enough superhero media with Charlotte to know that we need a team name."

"Why not just Pretty Cure?" Talia said.

"I think we need to make it our own," Ruth said.

"Precure Pals?" Natasha suggested.

"What kind of name is that?" Talia said.

"Hmph, Marie made fun of it, too," Natasha said, sticking her tongue out. "I don't get enough appreciation around here."

"How about..." Marie thought for a second. "...Pretty Cure Ocean Splash?"

"I really like that, actually!" Ruth said.

"It sounds nice!" Talia said.

"Well, it's not as good as Precure Pals," Natasha said, "But it is a good name."

"That's that, then!" Ruth said. "From this moment on, we're Pretty Cure Ocean Splash!"

The four of them held hands in a circle, and said it all together.

 _"Pretty Cure Ocean Splash!"_

* * *

"All of this, everything, is for you both," Ceto said quietly.

She looked toward the portrait of Aegaeon. "Father, I was illegitimate. As king, you should have rejected me, refused to acknowledge me as your daughter, especially considering who my mother was. And yet, you never did. You cared for me all the same. I only wish I could have seen you, one final time, before Thalassa took your life and so many others. When all this is over, I will take the title of Queen of Abyss, as you would have wanted."

Ceto then looked to the other portrait. "Phorcys, my love, not a day has gone by that I haven't thought about you and what could have been, if you had survived. Would we have married? Would you and I be leading Abyss together? I told you to come back with me to the Kingdom of Waves. Of course you refused. You took your role as my father's royal bodyguard seriously. You stood by his side until the very end. That's respectable, I suppose, but sometimes I wish you hadn't been so respectable. Then, maybe you'd be standing by my side today."

"A universe that took you both away from me is a universe that does not deserve to exist," Ceto said. "When I get my hands on the Gems of Tide... I'll destroy all of them. All the worlds will fall, and I'll make Thalassa watch. She'll watch as I use her kingdom's most sacred, precious treasures to take countless lives. I'll destroy the Kingdom of Waves last, and once that is done, then, and only then, will I finally allow her to die."

Ceto finally turned around and left the room.

"Fifteen years, and it still hasn't gotten any easier."

* * *

 _ED: Ride~The~Waves_

* * *

 **ON THE NEXT EPISODE:**

Ruth: This is bad, everyone... Somebody took a video of us, and it's gone viral!

Marie: These days, we've should've known something like that would happen sooner or later.

Natasha: But hey, we're famous! That's pretty awesome, right?

Talia: It's a _problem_. If we're famous, everyone is going to want to find out about our secret identities!

Marie: Next time on Pretty Cure Ocean Splash: **Pretty Cure's gone public! Can our secret stay secret?** Let the waves rush over you!


	6. Pretty Cure's gone public!

Rush hour in Shore City was, as in all cities, hectic. In the city center, cars moved slowly through the heavy traffic, and bored drivers behind the wheels impatiently honked their horns, eager to get home from the work day. It wouldn't stay boring for long, however.

On the rooftops, Karkinos lurked. "All these people, gathered her in one spot," He said to no one in particular, "It's just _begging_ for a Hadalis."

Karkinos brought out and uncorked his Hadal Vial. He waved a hand over the open top to extract a few drops of the dark liquid contained within, and he pointed toward a nearby streetlamp. "Rise from the depths, Hadalis!"

The liquid drops flew toward the streetlamp, transforming it into a monstrous Hadalis when they made contact. People all around, both those in their cars and nearby pedestrians, collapsed as the Hadalis began sapping their life energy. Those outside the dark monster's radius were horrified. No one knew for sure what was going on, but they knew whatever it was, it wasn't good. Some abandoned their cars and ran, while others stayed, either petrified by fear or believing their car would provide shelter.

" _Pretty Cure, Tidal Power!_ "

"The defender of the sea with an ocean of bravery... Making a splash, _Cure Coral!_ "

"The defender of the sea with an ocean of strength... Making waves, _Cure Storm!_ "

"The defender of the sea with an ocean of confidence... Diving in, _Cure Pearl!_ "

"The defender of the sea with an ocean of intelligence... Swimming in, _Cure Kelp!_ "

"With hope and power as vast as the ocean!" All four Cures spoke together, getting into their respective poses. " _We are Pretty Cure Ocean Splash!_ "

People all around stopped in their tracks as they turned to look. Some stared in awe, others took out their phones and began filming. People immediately began talking amongst themselves, asking questions like "Who are those girls?" "What are they going to do?" "Is this some kind of bizarre performance?" "How am I going to get home?"

The talking ceased as the Cures began talking themselves... To each other, that was.

"Oh, come on, I thought we all agreed we were going with 'we just go with the flow'!" Storm said. "I was starting to say that, and then I realized you all were saying _Pearl's_ suggestion, and I had to switch real fast! Man, I hope nobody noticed..."

"That's because we agreed we were going with my suggestion," Pearl said, rolling her eyes.

"Did we?" Storm said. "I guess I forgot..."

"I don't think now's the time for this," Coral said.

"Yeah, we've got work to do!" Kelp said. She and Coral leaped into action, as the two of them jumped toward the Hadalis and kicked it, hard.

"Sorry!" Storm called. She and Pearl followed Coral and Kelp's example, jumping in and delivering punches to the Hadalis.

"Pretty Cure Ocean Splash... Is that what you're calling yourselves now?" Karkinos said. "A rose by any other name, its thorns still dig into my side."

The Hadalis tried to retaliate. It took hold of another streetlamp and pulled it free from the sidewalk. It swung the streetlamp like a sword toward Coral and Kelp, who leaped out of the way, just in time. Then, it took another swing, this time at Storm and Pearl. The two stood their ground and caught the streetlamp in their hands. The Hadalis pushed down, trying to crush them beneath the pole, but Coral and Kelp then jumped in, Coral giving a kick and Kelp giving a punch, straight to the monster's face. While it was briefly disoriented, both Cures latched onto the Hadalis's face.

The Hadalis was distracted, and with its free hand, tried to swat the Cures off of its face. As it did so, it loosened its hold on the streetlamp it was holding. Storm and Coral gripped the streetlamp and pulled it out from the Hadalis's grasp. The two of them stepped back a ways as they carried the streetlamp.

"Coral, Kelp, look out!" Pearl called.

Coral and Kelp nodded as they detached themselves from the Hadalis's face and jumped away. Storm and Pearl threw the streetlamp as hard as they could toward the Hadalis, knocking the monster over as the streetlamp collided with it.

The four Cures dashed back toward where the Hadalis lied, ready to make the final blow. As they closed in on it, the Hadalis lifted its head up, and it lit up, emitting a light so bright, blinding all who looked.

The Cures stopped in their tracks, shielding their eyes.

"I can't see!" Coral said.

"It's like when you wake up in the middle of the night and check your phone to see what time it is!" Storm said.

"Your light is bright..." Pearl said, forcing herself to look. "But I shine brighter! _Pretty Cure, Pearl Flash!_ "

Pearl's bright light shot out toward the Hadalis, purifying it and turning it back into an ordinary streetlamp. All those who had their life energy drained by the Hadalis awoke, and all damage that had occurred during the battle repaired itself magically, as if nothing had ever happened.

Karkinos said nothing, but looked annoyed as he disappeared in a bubble.

It started with a few people clapping, until the crowd around the Cures erupted into applause. Storm started waving at the crowd enthusiastically. Kelp started waving, too, and so did Pearl, though she looked a little uncomfortable while doing it.

"I'm... not so used to being in the spotlight," Coral said nervously. "Can we... Can we get going? P-Please?"

"I agree, we should go," Pearl added.

"Aww, you two are no fun," Storm said. "Sure, let's leave."

The four Cures leaped off into the distance, leaving the crowd behind to wonder who they were and what had just happened.

* * *

 _OP: "Swim! Splash! Precure!"_

 **EPISODE 6:**  
 _"Pretty Cure's gone public! Can our secret stay secret?"_

* * *

"Marie! Where have you been?"

Marie jumped ass she walked through the front door. She hadn't been expecting that.

"Oh, Mom," She said, "I thought I called you and told you I stayed after school to study."

"You did, but they make you go home at 4:30, don't they?" Anne said. "You've been out much longer than that."

Staying after school to study wasn't a lie. Marie really had done so. She hadn't expected a Hadalis to attack while she was on her way home, however, and so she had stayed out longer. "Oh, um..." Marie tried to think of an excuse. "I still needed extra help, so I asked Ruth if I could come over, and she helped me study a little. I meant to text you, I'm sorry."

"Well, alright," Anne said, smiling. "Just don't forget to tell me next time, okay? After what happened today, I was worried sick!"

"Did something happen?" Marie asked.

"Oh, come look," Anne said, turning toward the living room. "It's on the news!"

Marie went into the living room. Bill was there, and Jack was, too, their eyes glued to the television. Marie sat down on the couch next to them, and what she saw on TV shocked her.

"According to both eyewitness reports and amateur video evidence, the group call themselves 'Pretty Cure Ocean Splash'," The anchorman on the news said.

Marie froze. "What... did he just say?"

The report continued with an excerpt from an interview of an eyewitness, a young man. "They were doing all kinds of... Crazy high acrobatic leaps and jumps and stuff, there was no way any ordinary person could do. And it was hard to see because it was bright, but I swear one of them used magic," He said. "This wasn't a performance or anything like that. They were real. It was all real."

The report went back to the anchorman. "There is no physical evidence of anything that occurred during the battle, despite numerous videos and accounts of the event. Eyewitnesses claim all damage that had occurred during the battle miraculously reversed itself. Both the Pretty Cure Ocean Splash girls and the strange man eyewitnesses report seeing on a rooftop both just before and during the event disappeared and have not been seen since."

"That's all gotta be fake," Jack said, rolling his eyes.

"I was there," Bill said. "I was stuck in traffic on my way home. It might seem hard to believe, but I'm telling you, I saw it with my own two eyes!"

"Oh, come on, Dad!" Jack looked toward his sister. "Marie, don't tell me you believe all this, too."

"O-o-of course n-not," Marie said, already nervous. "I-I mean, this is so ridiculous, how could anyone b-b-believe it?" She reached up toward her neck where her Soak Locket hung, running her fingers over it.

"You wouldn't be saying that if you had been there, Marie!" Bill said.

"I... I'm gonna head up to my room," Marie said, quickly leaving the room before anyone could protest. She ran up the stairs as quickly as she could, went into her bedroom and closed the door behind her. She opened up her bag, allowing Onda and Costa to come out before collapsing onto her bed.

"You both heard all that, right?" Marie asked the fairies.

Onda and Costa nodded.

Marie sighed. "What am I going to do?"

"The same thing you've done up until now," Costa answered. "You have to try and hide your identity."

Marie pulled herself up to a sitting position. "Yeah, I assumed that, but it's going to be so much harder, because now everyone knows about Pretty Cure."

"You have to at least try," Onda said.

"I guess you're right." Marie lied back down and stared up at the ceiling. "Man... This is going to be tough."

* * *

The next day at school went by uneventfully. Almost everyone was abuzz about Pretty Cure Ocean Splash.

"There's no way that stuff is real, right? It's gotta be some kind of hoax!"

"No way, I was there! It was real!"

"Who are those girls, anyway?"

"I know them, actually... But I'm not supposed to say who they are."

"They look to be around our age, ooh, what if they go to our school?"

 _Well, three out of four,_ Marie thought to herself when she heard the last one.

At lunch, Marie, Natasha and Ruth all met up, as they always did.

"So, there's a certain elephant in the room we need to address," Ruth said as she sat down.

"Ugh, don't remind me," Natasha said. "Everyone I've talked to today hasn't shut up about Pretty Cure. Can't think of any other time I was ever tired of hearing about myself!"

"We probably shouldn't say much here, just in case of anyone overhearing us talking about it," Marie said. "Plus, Talia's not here."

"You're right, we should meet up after school," Ruth said. "Whose house should we go to?"

"Yours is closest to the school, Ruth," Marie said.

"You're right, good idea," Ruth said. "Are you alright with that, Nat?"

"Sounds good to me," Natasha said. "I'll let Talia know!"

Natasha pulled her phone out of her pocket and started texting Talia. She looked up a few moments later. "Yep, Talia says it's good with her, too."

"Great, it's decided, then," Ruth said with a smile.

* * *

After school, back at Ruth's house, she led Marie, Natasha and Talia up to her room and closed the door behind them. Marie let Onda and Costa out of her bag, while Ruth pulled out her phone and brought up a video, titled 'REAL LIFE SUPERHEROES IN SHORE CITY- MUST WATCH!', just one of the many videos taken of their fight yesterday, but one of the most popular.

"Look at this," Ruth said. "Posted less than 24 hours ago, and it already has three million views, and the number is going up by the minute."

"We're completely exposed," Marie said.

Natasha watched the video, and frowned. "I just announced to everyone how I started saying 'we just go with the flow' at first like an idiot! Ugh, why did I do that? I should've stayed quiet and hoped nobody noticed. Now three million people know!"

"This is all totally bogus," Talia said. "But let's face the facts. Even in a world without camera phones or social media, we still fought in a public place with a lot of people around. Maybe we wouldn't become known around the world overnight, but we definitely would have at least become local legends pretty fast."

"That's fair," Ruth said. "Still, what are we supposed to do now?"

"I'll tell you the same thing I told Marie yesterday," Costa said. "You still have to try and keep your identities as Pretty Cure Ocean Splash a secret. It may be harder now that you've got public, but you still have to."

"Yeah, about that," Ruth said.

"Oh, no," Marie said.

"It's with Charlotte, isn't it?" Natasha said.

"What about Charlotte?" Talia asked.

"Right, Talia, since we haven't known each other for all that long, you probably don't know," Ruth said. "My older sister, Charlotte, is completely obsessed with superheroes, and... Well, you should all come see for your self. Come on, follow me. Onda, Costa, you two should stay here."

The two fairies nodded, and Ruth led Marie, Natasha and Talia out of her room and down the hall toward Charlotte's room. Ruth knocked on the door.

Charlotte's voice rang out from behind the door. "Coming!" A few moments later, she opened the door. "What's up?"

"Hey, Charlotte," Ruth said. "I was talking to my friends about that Pretty Cure thing you showed me this morning before school, and they're curious about it. Mind if they come in and take a look?"

"I don't mind at all!" Charlotte said, smiling. She stepped aside, allowing everyone into her room. "Come on in!"

The four of them stepped into Charlotte's room. Charlotte was Ruth's sister, so of course she already knew what Charlotte's room looked like, and Marie and Natasha were long-time friends of Ruth, so they did, too. Talia, however, marveled at it. The walls were covered in posters for all kinds of superheroes. She had an entire shelf dedicated to comic books and DVDs of superhero movies, and a few more shelves covered with action figures and similar. Ruth had not exaggerated in the slightest when she said Charlotte was obsessed with superheroes.

"Here it is," Charlotte said. She pointed to a big bulletin board on the wall.

At the top, there was a big piece of paper, with 'Pretty Cure Ocean Splash - Their secret identities?' written on it.

"You're trying to find out their secret identities?" Marie asked.

"That's right!" Charlotte said, grinning.

The bulletin board was divided into sections. The first was 'Known Information'. The list was currently brief. All it said was, 'Four spotted, all girls, appear to be high school age, names are Cure Coral, Storm, Pearl and Kelp'. The second was 'Locations of Appearances'. This was also brief, with currently only one location on it: The city center, where they had fought the streetlamp Hadalis yesterday. The third section was 'Possible Candidates'. Under this section were several photos of people, some familiar, others not.

"Charlotte, you didn't tell me that Marie, Natasha, Talia and I were all candidates!" Ruth said.

"Sorry, I don't have much to go on right now, I was just listing all the high school girls I could think of," Charlotte said. "But thinking about it... Yeah, I'm taking you off the list. You're always busy doing homework and studying for school, Ruth! No way you could find the time to be a superhero."

"Obviously," Ruth said.

Charlotte reached to unpin Ruth's picture from the board. "Natasha, I think I should take you off the board, too. You've got swim meets, not to mention I don't think you have the right... _Personality_ to be a superhero. No offense."

"None taken," Natasha said.

"Marie, Talia, sorry to say that I have nothing that definitely rules either of you out," Charlotte said. "Not to say that I think you're Pretty Cure Ocean Splash, it's just that there's nothing to say that you're not."

"That's fine," Talia said.

"But, you know," Marie said. "Being such a big fan of superheroes, you must know they want to keep their identities a secret for a reason! Why do you want to uncover them so badly?"

"Once I find out, it's not like I'm going to tell everyone," Charlotte said. "I'll keep it a secret. And I'm not a supervillain, I don't have malicious intentions, all I want is to meet them!"

"You just want to meet them?" Marie said. "That's all?"

"Yep!" Charlotte said. "Oh! And I want to ask them if I can become a Pretty Cure!"

* * *

 _Eyecatch 1: Marie, Natasha, Talia and Ruth are all in beachwear, chasing Onda and Costa along the beach. Marie, however, trips on a rock and falls right on her face. The others laugh and help her up as the Precure Ocean Splash logo appears in the corner._

 _Eyecatch 2: Standing in a line, the girls all hold oyster shells in their hands. One by one, they open them up. Marie opens hers up, nothing, Natasha, nothing, Ruth, nothing, but when Talia opens hers up, inside is a sparkling pearl. The others look at her while she proudly smiles, and the Precure Ocean Splash logo appears._

* * *

"You... Want to become a Pretty Cure?" Marie said.

"Yes!" Charlotte said. "To become a superhero has been my dream ever since I was little, and now I know that they're real, so of course, I want to as them how I can become one, like them. Look, I even drew myself as a Pretty Cure!" Charlotte opened up a drawer in her nightstand a pulled out a sketchbook. She flipped it open to a page and showed them all a drawing of herself as a Pretty Cure. It was actually very well drawn. "I decided to make myself purple, because it's my favorite color."

"You're a good artist," Talia complimented.

"Thanks," Charlotte said, and she put the sketchbook away.

"But, are you even sure if you can become a Pretty Cure?" Natasha asked. "What if they were, like, born that way or something?"

"Well, I'm not sure," Charlotte said, "But I might as well at least try and ask them, right? It's worth a shot!"

"I guess you're right," Natasha said.

"Well, good luck in your search, then," Marie said.

"Thanks," Charlotte said again.

The four of them finally left Charlotte's room, and headed back to Ruth's room.

"How did it go?" Onda asked.

"Charlotte wants to find out our secret identities, and she wants to become a Pretty Cure herself," Talia said.

"Oh, no," Costa said.

"And Marie wished her good luck!" Natasha said.

"Well, what was I supposed to say?" Marie said. "'Oh, I hope you never find out their secret identities! I hope your dream gets crushed!' Can you imagine?"

"Look, we can worry about this later," Costa said. "Onda and I can sense a general of Abyss has appeared not far from here!"

"Oh no, where?" Ruth asked.

"Back at your school!" Onda answered.

"Let's get going," Marie said.

Natasha, Talia and Ruth all nodded.

* * *

After-school activities were coming to an end at Shore City High. Students exited the school as they prepared to ride the bus home, walk home, get driven home or drive themselves, if they had a license.

Siren stood on the roof of the school, looking down upon all the people. "This time, I'll make Karkinos proud of me for sure." She brought out and uncorked her Hadal Vial. She waved her hand over the top to extract a few drops of the dark liquid inside the vial, and she pointed toward one of the waiting buses, currently empty. "Rise from the depths, Hadalis!"

The liquid drops raced toward the bus, transforming it into a monstrous Hadalis when they made contact. All around, people collapsed to the ground unconcious as the newly-formed Hadalis began to sap their life energy. People outside the initial radius were horrified, and began to scream and run away as fast as they could.

" _Pretty Cure, Tidal Power!_ "

"The defender of the sea with an ocean of bravery... Making a splash, _Cure Coral!_ "

"The defender of the sea with an ocean of strength... Making waves, _Cure Storm!_ "

"The defender of the sea with an ocean of confidence... Diving in, _Cure Pearl!_ "

"The defender of the sea with an ocean of intelligence... Swimming in, _Cure Kelp!_ "

"With hope and power as vast as the ocean!" All four Cures spoke together, getting into their respective poses. " _We are Pretty Cure Ocean Splash!_ "

Everyone around stopped in their tracks. Some cheered, others were confused. "Pretty Cure Ocean Splash is here! They'll save us!" "So it wasn't a hoax? They _are_ real?" "That was my bus, how am I going to get home?" Just like yesterday, many people pulled out their phones and started filming.

Siren glared when they arrived. "Pretty Cure, here again?" She growled. "This time, you won't be so lucky! Hadalis, attack!"

The Hadalis immediately began charging at a group of civilians. They screamed and tried to run, but the Hadalis was much faster than them, and quickly caught up. The four Cures jumped in just in time and stopped the Hadalis in its tracks. All four of them punched the monster at once, sending backward several yards. They were fighting as one, standing in a row and holding hands, beautifully synchronized as they all ran toward the Hadalis, jumped up and brought four simultaneous kicks straight to its face. It was almost hypnotic to watch.

They broke from the line and began fighting individually. Coral and Pearl went for the Hadalis's legs, kicking them out from under it, as Storm delivered a harsh punch to the monster's stomach. This combination easily toppled the Hadalis. While it was down, all four Cures went for it. They all punched and kicked at the Hadalis from all sides, but it still managed to get back up on its feet despite it all.

"This one is tougher than it looks," Pearl said, jumping back.

Storm looked around for a solution, and spotted one. "I've got an idea!" She said, pointing to another empty bus. "They fight fire with fire, right? Light a smaller, controlled fire near wildfires to try and burn up all the oxygen to stop wildfires in their tracks, or something like that? Let's fight bus with bus!"

"That idea might just be crazy enough to work," Coral said. "Let's give it a try!"

The four Cures raced toward the empty bus. The Hadalis followed after them, trying to stomp on the Cures, but it wasn't quite quick enough to keep up with them, and they either sped or leaped out of the way of danger, just in time.

The Cures arrived at the bus, and they began lifting it up. It was heavy, but the enhanced strength of a Pretty Cure combined with all four of them lifting it at once made it a breeze. They prepared to throw the bus at the Hadalis, when a familiar voice rang out.

"Pretty Cure, Pretty Cure!" Charlotte called, coming in running. "I heard on Tweeter the Pretty Cure were here, and I see it's true! Pretty Cure, is it okay if I ask you some questions?"

"Charlotte?" Kelp said.

"Oh, is it someone you know?" Siren said, smirking. "Hadalis, go for that girl!"

The Hadalis turned and began charging for Charlotte. Realizing what was about to happen, Charlotte turned to run, but just like with the group of civilians earlier, she was much slower than it. The Hadalis soon caught up to her, and lifted one of its feet to crush her. The Cures jumped in just in time. Coral, Storm and Pearl took hold of and help up the Hadalis's foot, while Kelp grabbed Charlotte and leaped to safety.

Kelp took Charlotte to a rooftop, placing her down gently.

"You'll be safe up here," Kelp said.

"Thank you," Charlotte said. "You're Cure Kelp, right? I want-"

Kelp stopped her. "Please, not now," She said. "Let it wait until after we defeat this Hadalis."

"I understand," Charlotte said. "I'm sorry."

Kelp turned around and jumped back into the action. Storm's plan to use the empty bus seemed to have fallen through. The Hadalis had taken hold of the bus and was now brandishing it as a weapon. It swung the bus around like a baseball bat, trying to hit the Cures.

"We need to get that bus back from it," Coral said.

"Remember what we did to the streetlamp Hadalis yesterday to get it to let go of the other streetlamp?" Kelp said. "Let's distract it by getting in its face, and see if it'll let go of the bus!"

"Good idea," Pearl said.

The four Cures jumped up, out of the way of another swing of the bus by the Hadalis. They ran up the Hadalis's body toward its face, and grabbed on tightly once they reached it. The Hadalis reached up with its free hand to try and swat off the Cures, but they held on tightly. They weren't going anywhere.

"It hasn't let go of the bus yet," Coral said. "Why isn't it letting go?"

Storm looked back behind them, and her eyes widened. "Uh, girls," She said, "Now might be a good time to let go of this thing!"

Storm let go and leaped away, and Coral, Pearl and Kelp followed her example. They landed safely on the ground and looked up at the Hadalis, just in time to see it hit itself in the face, hard, with the empty bus. The Hadalis, hurt and disoriented, fell over to the ground with a crash.

"It couldn't get us off with its hand, so it thought to hit us with the bus!" Kelp said. "Not very smart, is it? Not what I expected would happen, but it works!"

Kelp ran toward the disoriented Hadalis, ready to make the final blow. " _Pretty Cure,_ _Kelp Dance!_ " Kelp's seaweed lashed out like a whip at the Hadalis, purifying it and turning it back into an ordinary bus. Those who were having their life energy sapped by the Hadalis awoke, and a bright light shone. When the light faded, all damage that had occurred during the battle was repaired.

All around, people erupted into cheering and applause.

Siren looked terribly angry. "I _will_ win next time, Pretty Cure." She then disappeared in a bubble.

Kelp turned back toward the group. "Let's go deal with my sister, then."

Kelp leaped toward the rooftop where she had left Charlotte, and Coral, Storm and Pearl jumped after her.

"You're all here!" Charlotte said, grinning. "That was amazing! The Pretty Cure are invincible, and that's why I want-"

"You want to become a Pretty Cure, too," Kelp finished.

"Wow, how did you know?" Charlotte said. "You must be able to read minds?"

"Do you want to find out how I knew?" Kelp said. She looked up as Onda and Costa flew in. "Oh, you two are just in time! These are fairies, Onda and Costa."

"Fairies?" Charlotte said.

"Onda, Costa, you don't mind if I do this, right?" Kelp said. "I mean, it's just one person, and she _really_ wants to know."

Costa frowned. "What are you-"

It was too late for anyone to stop her. Kelp formed a bubble around herself, and when it popped, she was ordinary Ruth again.

"W...What?" Charlotte said, in disbelief.

Coral, Storm and Pearl decided to follow Ruth's example, forming bubbles around themselves and turning back into ordinary Marie, Natasha and Talia.

"Y-you're supposed to keep your identities secret at all costs!" Onda said.

Natasha pointed at Ruth. "Don't look at us, look at Ruth! She turned back first, she started it!"

"You're all... Pretty Cure Ocean Splash?" Charlotte said. "I knew it! I knew I was right to put you all on my candidate list!"

Charlotte ran up to Ruth and took her hands. "Then you have to tell me how to become a Pretty Cure! Please, it's my dream!"

"How to become a Pretty Cure?" Ruth said.

"Yes, please!" Charlotte said.

Ruth said. "The truth is... I'm not sure if you _will_ become a Pretty Cure."

"What?" Charlotte said. "Why not?"

"I'm not sure if you will, as in, it's not a guarantee," Ruth said. "It's certainly possible for you to become one."

"How can I become one, then?" Charlotte asked.

" _Anyone_ can become a Pretty Cure," Ruth said. "There doesn't have to be anything special about you or anything. All you need is to believe in yourself, and you need the desire to fight until the end for your friends, your family, the things you love and what you think is right. That's how you can become a Pretty Cure."

"That's all?" Charlotte asked.

"That's all," Ruth replied. "But even if you have what it takes to become a Pretty Cure, it's no guarantee that you will become one. Really, it's by chance. Marie, Natasha, Talia and I all just happened to be in the right place at the right time. I'm sorry to disappoint you."

"Thank you for telling me," Charlotte said, smiling warmly at her sister. "No guarantee? That's okay. Even if it's a small chance, even if it's the smallest chance in the world, a billion, no, a _trillion_ to one chance, I'll still never give up on my dream."

Charlotte turned around, and looked up at the sky. "I'll never give up! Even if it takes a year, even if it takes ten years, even if it takes a hundred years! One day, I _will_ become a Pretty Cure! This, I swear!"

The four of them smiled at Charlotte.

"I have to admit," Marie said. "She _would_ make a good Pretty Cure."

* * *

 _ED: Ride~The~Waves_

* * *

 **ON THE NEXT EPISODE:**

Onda: There's another Gem of Tide somewhere! I can sense it!

Ruth: We need to get it, then!

Talia: Abyss is going to be looking for it, too, aren't they?

Costa: We got lucky with the first Gem, but it looks like if we want the next one, we're going to have to fight for it.

Natasha: Let's do it, then! We can take anything they throw at us, we're invincible!

Marie: Next time on Pretty Cure Ocean Splash: **A Gem of Tide! Between Scylla and Charybdis!** Let the waves rush over you!


	7. A Gem of Tide!

In Marie's bedroom, Marie and Natasha were sitting together on the bed. They had textbooks and papers out. Onda was napping on Marie's pillow, while Costa was seated on the nightstand, munching on some cookies.

"The _genotype_ refers to an organism's genes," Marie explained, "While the _phenotype_ refers to an organism's observable physical attributes. If the genotype is a mixture of dominant and recessive genes, the dominant gene will appear in the phenotype. In order for an organism to show a recessive gene in its phenotype, the genotype has to be all recessive. Are you getting this, Nat?"

Natasha looked sheepish. "Uh... Could you go over bonnet squares again?"

" _Punnet_ squares," Marie corrected.

"Yeah, those," Natasha said.

"You know, you could've asked Ruth for study help," Marie said.

"I know, but I lo-" Natasha paused. "I _like_ , uh, spending time with you. I ask Ruth for study help enough, and you're _really_ good at biology, anyway!"

"I'm not _that_ good," Marie said.

"Don't sell yourself so short," Natasha said. "I wouldn't have asked for your help if you weren't so good at it!"

Onda's eyes opened, and she sat up, looking around.

"Oh, no," Marie said, turning toward the fairy. "Did we wake you up, Onda? I'm sorry."

"No, it's..." Onda began.

Costa put down her cookies and looked up, too. She flew up toward the window and looked out of it, Onda joining her soon after.

"Onda, can you sense it, too?" Costa asked her sister.

Onda nodded. "Yeah."

"What's going on, you two?" Natasha asked.

Costa turned toward Marie and Natasha. "We can sense one of the Gems of Tide."

* * *

 _OP: "Swim! Splash! Precure!"_

 **EPISODE 7:**  
 _"A Gem of Tide! Between Scylla and Charybdis!"_

* * *

"Man, when's Talia getting here?" Natasha said, lounging lazily on the couch.

"Be patient," Marie said.

"She lives much further from your house than either of us do," Ruth pointed out. "Relax, just give her time. She'll get here."

"You're right," Natasha said as she sat up. "I didn't think about that."

A knock came from the door.

"See?" Ruth said. "That should be her now."

"It's open!" Natasha called.

The door opened, and as expected, Talia walked in. "I'm so, so sorry I'm late!" She said. "It's a long walk, and-"

"Hey, hey, it's cool," Natasha said. "You don't have to say sorry."

Talia looked relieved. "Okay."

An older woman, noticing Talia's entrance, poked her head out of the kitchen door. "Oh, hello!" She said. "Nat, who's this?"

"Oh, hey, Mom!" Natasha said. "This is Talia. She's a new friend of mine. Talia, this is my mom. Say hi!"

Talia hesitated a bit before speaking up. "Nice to meet you, Mrs. Burke."

Natasha's mother waved a hand in the air. "Oh, please, I'm not married. Call me Flora!"

"Then, nice to meet you... Flora," Talia said.

Flora smiled. "There you go," She said. "Snacks are here in the kitchen, in case any of you girls get hungry!"

"Thanks, Mom!" Natasha called, as Flora withdrew back into the kitchen.

"What did you call us over here for?" Ruth asked.

"Can't talk about it with Natasha's mom within earshot," Marie said.

"It's important, um," Natasha leaned in close to Talia and Ruth, lowering her voice to a whisper. " _Pretty Cure business._ "

"To your room, then?" Talia asked.

"To my room!" Natasha said. "Come on, let's go."

* * *

Natasha's bedroom was far from tidy, to put it politely.

Her bed was unmade and mountains of clothes both clean and dirty littered the floor. In most spots, the actual floor wasn't even visible. Posters of olympic swimmers were hung crookedly on the walls. The only tidy part of the room was the shelf that held Natasha's many swimming trophies and awards. As Natasha closed the door, Marie unzipped her bag, letting Onda and Costa out.

"First, let's put on some tunes!" Natasha said. She walked over to a beat-up and well-used stereo, covered in a disorderly pile of music albums. She selected an album from the pile and pulled the CD out of its case, popping it into the player. When she hit play, the sounds of a banjo and acoustic guitar filled the room, and a soft, sad-sounding man's voice sang over it.

"I didn't expect you to be a fan of folk," Talia said.

"A lot of people say that." Natasha shrugged her shoulders. "What did you think I was into?"

"Heavy metal, to be honest," Talia said.

"So, this important Pretty Cure business you talked about?" Ruth asked.

"Oh! Right," Natasha said. "Don't worry, it's good news."

Talia and Ruth sat down on the bed, while Marie and Natasha sat down on the floor.

"Earlier today, I was helping Natasha study for biology," Marie began, "And that's when Onda and Costa told us they could sense one of the Gems of Tide somewhere nearby."

"That's awesome!" Talia said, clapping her hands together.

Ruth turned to the penguins. "You two can do that?"

"Me and Onda were the guardians of the Gems," Costa said. "We're connected to them, in a way."

"Pretty cool, huh?" Onda added.

"Not to mention useful," Marie said.

"If you can sense it, where is it, then?" Ruth asked.

"That's where it gets complicated," Costa said. "We can't sense its exact location. It's more like a vague pull in the direction of it. We can point you in the right direction, but we'll still have to search for it ourselves."

"Yeah, scavenger hunt!" Natasha exclaimed, pumping her fist into the air.

Marie laughed a little. "Nat, what are you doing?"

"I'm just trying to make this a little more fun," Natasha said. "Come on, come on! Which way are we going?"

"The Gem of Tide is... That way!" Onda exclaimed, pointing with her flipper.

"You're pointing towards the wall, Onda," Marie said.

"Yeah, I think that probably would work better if we went outside first," Ruth said.

"Heehee, good idea!" Onda said.

* * *

The sun was already low on the horizon, and getting lower every minute. Most people were already home for the evening, others on their way home, a few others still out and about.

"At times like this, I almost wish we lived on the west coast instead of the east coast," Talia said, blinking in the low light. "Watching the sun set over the ocean would be so beautiful. Anyway, let's get started."

Onda and Costa were tucked inside Marie's bag with the top unzipped, hidden from sight by others but still accessible. "Let's hope nobody we might run into finds it suspicious that we're talking into a bag," Marie said. "Alright, you two. Which way is the Gem of Tide?"

Onda and Costa poked their heads out of the bag only slightly, to point in the direction. "That way!" They said in unison.

"Let's go!" Natasha shouted.

The four of them broke out into a run. It wasn't long, however, before Ruth began to slow down, her stamina failing her. Marie began slowing down shortly after her. Talia lasted for much longer than both of them, but she, too, began falling behind. Natasha stopped running as she realized she was ahead of all the others.

"Come on, what's the hold up?" Natasha called.

"Come on, Nat, we're not as active as you are," Ruth said. "I spend most of my time studying. I get winded just when I walk up the stairs."

"This is good exercise for you, then!" Natasha said.

"Why don't we transform for this?" Ruth said. "We're stronger, faster, and we have more energy and stamina in Pretty Cure form. That way, we can all keep up! Plus, Onda and Costa won't have to hide."

"That's not a bad idea," Talia said.

Natasha shrugged. "Fine, we'll do this the easy way."

The four of them ducked into a nearby alleyway, away from anyone who could possibly see them.

"Let's go, everyone," Marie said.

Natasha, Talia and Ruth all nodded.

" _Pretty Cure, Tidal Power!_ "

"The defender of the sea with an ocean of bravery... Making a splash, _Cure Coral!_ "

"The defender of the sea with an ocean of strength... Making waves, _Cure Storm!_ "

"The defender of the sea with an ocean of confidence... Diving in, _Cure Pearl!_ "

"The defender of the sea with an ocean of intelligence... Swimming in, _Cure Kelp!_ "

"With hope and power as vast as the ocean!" All four Cures spoke together, getting into their respective poses. " _We are Pretty Cure Ocean Splash!_ "

"Nobody can even see you," Costa said. "Was the team catchphrase really necessary this time?"

"Yes," Storm said. "Yes it was."

* * *

"So... What are we supposed to be doing?" Charybdis asked, confused.

"We are _observing_ , my dear Charybdis," Scylla answered.

"Oh," Charybdis said. "What are we observing?"

"We are keeping our eyes out for the perfect opportunity or moment in which to strike," Scylla said.

"Oh, that makes sense," Charybdis said. "You're so smart, Scylla!"

The two of them stood upon a high rooftop, looking down over Shore City.

Charybdis sighed. "I'm bored. I want to summon a Hadalis right now!"

"I know you do, but you must be patient," Scylla said. "The perfect opportunity will present itself soon enough. When it comes, you will know."

"Okay," Charybdis said. She looked out over the horizon, spotting something strange in the distance. It was the Pretty Cure, along with the penguins, jumping from rooftop to rooftop.

"Scylla, look at that!" Charybdis pointed to the distance.

"Hmm?" Scylla looked to where Charybdis was pointing. "Is that the Pretty Cure? That's unusual. Why are they transformed right now? They certainly don't seem to be fighting."

"Maybe they're looking for something," Charybdis guessed.

"It's possible, but if that's the case, then what are they looking for?" Scylla thought for a moment, before a sly smile spread across her face. "Oh, I think I have an idea."

"What?" Charybdis asked.

Scylla took Charybdis' hands in her own. "What else could they be trying to find than one of the Gems of Tide?"

"Oh, yeah!" Charybdis said. "Of course. So, if we follow them, then they should lead us right to it!"

"That's right," Scylla said. "Come, Charybdis. I believe the perfect opportunity is right in front of us."

* * *

 _Eyecatch 1: Marie, Natasha, Talia and Ruth are all in beachwear, chasing Onda and Costa along the beach. Marie, however, trips on a rock and falls right on her face. The others laugh and help her up as the Precure Ocean Splash logo appears in the corner._

 _Eyecatch 2: Standing in a line, the girls all hold oyster shells in their hands. One by one, they open them up. Marie opens hers up, nothing, Natasha, nothing, Ruth, nothing, but when Talia opens hers up, inside is a sparkling pearl. The others look at her while she proudly smiles, and the Precure Ocean Splash logo appears._

* * *

"Are we any closer to the Gem?" Coral asked.

"No," Onda said.

All four Cures let out a deep sigh.

"Where is this thing supposed to be?" Storm said.

"We've been heading in this direction for ages," Pearl said.

"This might be a bad time, but..." Costa began.

"Oh no, has something happened?" Kelp asked, worried.

"The Gem seems to have... Switched directions," Costa said.

"Switch directions? It's a _rock!_ " Storm said, crossing her arms. "What, did it sprout wings and fly away?"

"No explanation for how it switched directions, but at least that explains why we weren't getting any closer to it," Coral said.

"We should head for it before it changes directions again," Pearl said. "Which way is it now?"

Just like earlier, Onda and Costa both pointed their flippers in the direction. "That way!" They said in unison again.

The four Cures took a running start and leaped from the rooftop they were standing on to the next. Powerful and fast, they breezed over the skyline of Shore City, streaking through the sky like shooting stars, Onda and Costa following close behind them as they leaped from building to building.

"Stop!" Onda bellowed.

The Cures skidded to a stop on the building they stood upon.

"The Gem is somewhere close by," Costa said.

"Finally," Storm said.

"Keep your eyes peeled, everyone!" Kelp said.

"I hope we find it before the sun goes down," Pearl said. "It'll be so much harder to find once it's dark out."

Coral noticed a tree nearby to the building they stood on. It wasn't an unusual sight. There were many trees along the sidewalks, lining the streets. Looking a bit closer, she noticed a bird on one of its branches, and in its beak, the bird held a round, blue gemstone.

"Uh, Storm, I think your little theory about the Gem sprouting wings and flying away may have been true," Coral said, pointing toward the bird.

"What are you..." When Storm looked to what Coral was pointing to, she immediately burst out into laughter. "Oh my god, you can't be serious!"

When Pearl and Kelp looked over, they let out small giggles, too.

"That's a Gem of Tide for sure!" Onda said.

"That bird has it!" Costa said. "Are you serious?"

"Well, there's our explanation for how it changed directions," Coral said.

"Birds are attracted to shiny stuff, aren't they?" Storm said. "This is just hilarious. A stupid bird found the Gem before we could!"

The Cures jumped down to street level, near the base of the tree, Onda and Costa following soon after.

"I'll get it," Pearl said. She jumped off the ground, up toward the branch that the bird sat on. When she tried to reach for the Gem, however, the bird took flight to another branch. "Okay, I should have expected that," She said as she landed back on the ground.

"Here, let me try," Kelp said. "I'm going to try to sneak up on it." She grabbed onto the low-lying branches and pulled herself up. Climbing up toward the branch the bird sat on, she tried to climb out toward it, but when she shifted all her weight on the branch, she heard a snap. "Uh oh." The branch crashed toward the ground, taking Kelp with it. The bird took flight again and perched on another branch.

Kelp got up and dusted herself off. "I'm alright!"

"I've got an idea," Storm said, bending over and picking a small rock up off the ground.

"Storm, don't throw a rock at the poor thing!" Coral said.

"Don't worry, I'm not _that_ horrible of a person," Storm said. "I'm not going to throw the rock _at_ the bird. I'm just going to throw the rock _near_ the bird. The rock will startle the bird, and make it drop the Gem!"

"Okay, just be careful," Coral said.

"Right! Here I go!" Storm exclaimed. She drew her arm back and threw the rock with all her might. It soared through the air before colliding with the branch the bird was perched upon. The bird once again flew away and perched on another branch, but it still held fast to the Gem of Tide. "Oh, come on! Not only did this stupid bird find the Gem before we could, but we're being outsmarted by it, too! Why does it want to hang onto the Gem so bad, anyway?"

"Onda, Costa, maybe one of you could try to grab the Gem," Coral said. "Penguins are birds, right? You could probably get close enough to the bird to get the Gem without it flying away again."

"That might work!" Onda said.

"I'll do it," Costa said. "Onda, you stay here."

"Okay," Onda said.

Costa flew up toward the bird, sitting down beside it on the branch. "Hey, what's up? Crazy weather we've been having lately, right?" The bird didn't react.

"Are you making small talk with it?" Pearl called up.

"I don't know, maybe it's friendly!" Costa called back down.

"I doubt it can understand you!" Kelp called.

"Come on, Costa, just grab the Gem so we can go home!" Storm called.

"Fine, fine," Costa said. She grabbed onto the Gem and pulled, but the bird refused to let go, holding onto it with its beak tightly and pulling back. "Come on, just hand it over, you stupid birdbrain! You don't even know how important this thing is!" Costa pulled as hard as she could, but the bird pulled even harder. The Gem slipped out of Costa's flippers and she lost her balance, falling off the branch and down toward the ground.

"Costa!" Onda shouted in horror.

Coral reacted quickly, jumping out and catching the fairy penguin in her arms. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Costa said, sitting up. "It's because of you, Coral. Thanks for catching me."

"No problem," Coral said, looking up toward the bird. "It really doesn't want to let go of the Gem, does it?"

"Perhaps we can provide some assistance?" A voice behind them said.

The Cures all turned around to see the source of the voice: Scylla, with Charybdis by her side.

"After all, we would love to have that Gem just as much as you all would," Scylla said.

"Aww, not these two again," Storm said. "They're so weird."

"I'm going to take that as a compliment," Scylla said.

Charybdis chuckled darkly. "We've been following behind you all for so long, and you never even noticed! You led us right to the Gem, and now we're gonna take it from you!"

"Well, we still found it first," Coral said.

"Yeah, finders keepers!" Storm said, playfully sticking her tongue out.

"Ah, yes, _finders keepers,_ " Scylla said. "How childish. If that were the case, then the rightful owner of the Gem would be that bird there. It certainly seems intent on keeping it."

Kelp got into a fighting stance. "If you want that Gem, then you're going to have to go through us."

"We're not going down without a fight," Pearl added.

"Fighting! Now you're speaking our language," Scylla said.

"Is it now, Scylla?" Charybdis asked. "Is now the perfect opportunity you were talking about earlier?"

"Indeed it is, my dear Charybdis," Scylla answered.

"Great," Charybdis said, grinning. She waved her hand in the air, bringing out her Hadal Vial, and uncorked it. She waved her free hand over the top, extracting a few drops of the dark liquid contained inside. "What should I make my Hadalis out of?"

"How about that troublesome bird?" Scylla suggested.

"I'll do it," Charybdis said. Charybdis pointed toward the bird. "Rise from the depths, Hadalis!"

The liquid drops raced toward the bird. When they made contact, the bird grew in size to become giant, its feathers blackening and its beak sharpening, its eyes turning bright red. The bird had been transformed into a Hadalis.

"No... They can make a Hadalis out of a living creature?" Pearl choked in horror.

"That's horrible," Kelp said.

As the transformation completed, the bird Hadalis, with the Gem of Tide still in its beak, drew its head back and swallowed the stone whole.

"What?" Coral said in disbelief.

"It... It ate it," Storm said, blinking. "It just _ate_ the Gem of Tide. What's gonna happen now?"

The bird Hadalis began to give off a strange blue glow. It spread its wings, opened its beak, and a ghastly caw rang out from its mouth.

"It seems exposure to a Gem of Tide gave our Hadalis a little power boost," Scylla said. "Fascinating. Lady Ceto will be very pleased to hear about this."

"If you want the Gem, you'll have to beat our powered-up Hadalis!" Charybdis exclaimed.

"We haven't lost to you yet, and we don't plan on letting our streak be broken," Coral said.

"That's right, Pretty Cure Ocean Splash is invincible!" Storm boasted.

"Hadalis, attack!" Charybdis demanded.

The Hadalis spread its wings and took to the sky. It swooped down quickly, and Coral and Storm stood in its shadow with their fists drawn back, prepared to punch it with full force once it came close. However, it came down much faster than they expected it. Flying close to the ground, it swept both of them off of their feet with spread wings before either of them had a chance to react.

"Ouch," Storm said.

Coral picked herself up from the ground, hurt and a bit shaken, but still capable of fighting. "Wow... I didn't think it would be this fast."

Pearl took a running start and jumped up into the air, preparing to deliver a quick kick to the face of the Hadalis, but its movements were too quick for her. The Hadalis snapped at her, grabbing onto her and trapping her between its beak.

"Somebody help!" Pearl squealed. "I'm trapped!" She struggled and struggled, but just couldn't manage to free herself.

"You let her go!" Kelp shouted. She delivered punch after punch to the Hadalis' foot, but her punches didn't seem to have any effect. Eventually, the Hadalis, seeming to grow tired of her futile attempts, reached out with its foot. Kelp tried to run away, but she wasn't fast enough, and the Hadalis grasped her between its massive talons. "Now I'm trapped! Coral! Storm! We could use a little help here!"

"Let our friends go!" Coral and Storm shouted in unison. The two of them ran at the Hadalis, leaped up at it and punched with all their strength, but even with both of them attacking at once, the Hadalis wasn't even moved.

"No," Coral said, "How can it be so strong?"

With a fierce swipe of the Hadalis' wing, Coral and Storm were knocked back, hitting the wall of a building with a loud thud. They slid to the ground in a crumpled heap.

"Coral! Storm!" Onda and Costa screamed.

With Pearl still trapped in its beak and Kelp still trapped in its talons, the Hadalis spread its wings and took off into the sky. It finally released Pearl and Kelp, throwing them hard against the same wall Coral and Storm had hit. They landed beside their fellow Cures, all of them badly hurt and lying still. The Hadalis landed back on the ground, awaiting further orders.

"Excellent," Scylla said, pleased. "Let's finish this and get back to Abyss, Charybdis."

"Okay," Charybdis said. "Hadalis, crush them."

The Hadalis lifted its foot over the Pretty Cure and tried to bring it down on top of them, but the Cures, greatly weakened, yet still alive, caught its foot in their hands, holding it up with the last of their strength.

"We can't..." Coral began.

"...Lose here." Storm continued.

"Pretty Cure..." Pearl added.

"...Is invincible." Kelp finished.

The Pretty Cure pushed back with all they could, but as they were already weakened, they were no match for the powered-up Hadalis. There was a loud cracking noise and a cloud of dust was kicked up. When the dust cleared, the Hadalis' foot was flat against the ground.

"What?" Costa said.

"The Pretty Cure... Were defeated?" Onda said, tears already beginning to form in her eyes.

Scylla and Charybdis approached the Hadalis, both of them with smiles on their faces.

"That went well," Scylla said. "We got a Gem of Tide, and we won't have to deal with the Pretty Cure any longer. I was expecting them to surrender. This was much better!"

"Lady Ceto is going to be so pleased with us!" Charybdis said with a giggle. "Hadalis! Give me that Gem."

Charybdis held up her hand as the Hadalis bent down and opened its mouth, releasing the Gem it had swallowed at the start of its battle into her hand. The blue glow around the Hadalis faded. Charybdis held the Gem up in the fading light of the setting sun and grinned.

Onda was crying freely now. Costa patted her head with her flipper, trying to calm her sister. She looked up at Scylla and Charybdis, a scowl on her face.

"You... You're horrible!" Costa spat.

"Us? Horrible?" Scylla said. "The queen you hail has the blood of countless innocent civilians on her hands. How can you say that Abyss is any worse?"

Costa didn't say anything in response, but continued scowling at the Abyssal generals.

"We're done here, my dear Charybdis," Scylla said. "Let us be off."

"Okay," Charybdis said.

The two of them formed a dark bubble around themselves, and when the bubble popped, they were gone.

Costa continued trying to comfort Onda.

"Onda, please, stop crying," Costa said. "Everything is going to be okay."

"But it's not!" Onda shouted back. "Everything _isn't_ going to be okay, because the Pretty Cure were the last hope for the Kingdom of Waves, and now they're... Now they're..."

Onda and Costa suddenly heard movement, and looked up to see the Hadalis' foot, the one it had used to crush the Pretty Cure, was being pushed up, by none other than the Pretty Cure.

"What? But I thought..." Costa said.

"They're... Okay?" Onda said.

Looking closely, Onda and Costa could see what had happened. The Hadalis hadn't actually crushed the Pretty Cure beneath its foot. It had instead created a crater in the ground beneath them, pushing them down into it, and blocked it off with its foot, making it appear as if they had been crushed.

The Pretty Cure pushed the Hadalis back with great strength, knocking it off its feet. They climbed up out of the crater.

Coral looked toward the penguins, and smiled. "Sorry if we made you worry."

"We're just happy to see you're okay!" Onda said.

Costa looked toward the Hadalis. "I think I understand. Holding the Gem of Tide within it made it stronger, but now that the Gem of Tide is removed, its back to normal strength."

"Today's been a long day," Storm said. "I just want to end this and go home." She approached where the Hadalis lied on the ground. " _Pretty Cure, Storm Strike!_ "

A bolt of lightning flew out from Storm's hands toward the Hadalis, purifying it and turning it back into an ordinary bird. The bird, despite everything, seemed to be no worse for wear, spreading its wings and flying away. A bright light shone, and when it faded, all damage that had occurred during the battle was repaired, and the Pretty Cure were all completely healed.

The Cures all formed bubbles around themselves, and when they popped, they were back in their normal civilian forms.

"Sure glad that's over," Marie said.

"I really need a rest after that," Natasha said, stretching. "I am going to sleep _so well_ tonight."

"One thing, though," Talia said, looking around. "Where's the Gem of Tide? Where did Scylla and Charybdis go?"

Onda and Costa looked at the ground.

"Oh, no," Ruth said. "They didn't really get away with the Gem of Tide, did they?"

The four of them all looked at each other, frowning.

"Pretty Cure Ocean Splash has lost for the first time?" They all said at once.

* * *

 _ED: Ride~The~Waves_

* * *

 **ON THE NEXT EPISODE:**

Marie: I can't believe we were beaten... What's going to happen now?

Natasha: Come on, cheer up! It's spring break now, we can't let stuff like this drag us down.

Talia: I'm looking forward to hitting the beach for the first time this year.

Ruth: I could really use the time off from school. This'll be a great time to catch up on my studies!

Natasha: Studies? Come on, Ruth, spring break is a time for rest and relaxation!

Marie: I still can't get our loss out of my head, though.

Ruth: Hmm... Well, there's this new girl who just moved to town. Maybe we can show her around, and it'll help you take your mind off of it!

Marie: Maybe, but you know how shy I am around new people! Next time on Pretty Cure Ocean Splash: **Spring Break! A friendship blooms!** Let the waves rush over you!


End file.
